Over 4,000 minors abused by members of Portugal’s Catholic Church in final 70 years: Report

Members of the Portuguese Catholic Church abused over 4,000 minors within the final 70 years, a report stated.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 13, 2023 18:14 IST

Thousands of reviews of paedophilia throughout the Catholic Church have surfaced world wide (Photo: Reuters)

By India Today Web Desk: An explosive report has claimed that over 4,000 youngsters had been sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church within the final 70 years.

The fee which launched the report stated the findings are solely the tip of the iceberg, information company Reuters reported.

“We want to pay a sincere tribute to those who were abuse victims during their childhood and dared to give a voice to silence,” youngster psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, who headed the fee, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“They are much more than a statistic,” he added.

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Most perpetrators had been clergymen, and a lot of the victims had been males, Strecht stated, including that they had been abused in Catholic colleges, church buildings, clergymen’ properties, and confessionals, amongst different places.

The majority of the sexual abuse passed off when the kids had been aged 10–14, with the youngest sufferer being simply two years previous.

The Portuguese Catholic Church was rocked final yr by instances of alleged cover-up of sexual abuse, together with by bishops who stay energetic in church roles. The fee stated it was getting ready an inventory of accused clergymen nonetheless working.

A complete of 25 of the testimonies heard by the fee had been despatched to the general public prosecutors’ workplace for investigation, as all of the others had been dedicated over 20 years in the past and authorized proceedings can not be initiated.

The fee stated the regulation must be modified so authorized proceedings may be initiated for historic crimes dedicated 30 years in the past.

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Published On:

Feb 13, 2023