More than 100 priests suspected of abuse are active in the Portuguese Catholic Church. | – #priests #suspected #abuse #active #Portuguese #Catholic #Church
LISBON, Feb 14 (Reuters) – Suspected child abusers have 10More than 0 priests remain active in ecclesiastical roles in Portugal.
The commission, which began work in January 2022, said in its final report published on Monday that at least 4,815 children were sexually abused by members of the Roman Catholic Church in Portugal – mostly priests – over a 70-year period.
It added that the findings were the “tip of the iceberg”, describing the 4,815 cases as the “absolute minimum” number of victims.
The head of the commission child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht told SIC television: “There is an estimate (of accused priests) and it is clearly 10will be more than 0″.
The commission said it is still working on a list of accused priests for referral to the church and the state prosecutor’s office.
Strecht noted that those on the list should be removed from their roles or at least prohibited from communicating with children and teenagers during the investigation.
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Jose Ornelas, head of the Bishops’ Conference, said the body had not yet received the list.
“What the Pope (Francis) said … abusers of minors cannot hold a position in the ministry as long as the person is proven to be an abuser,” Ornelas said, adding that the church would not conduct a “witch hunt.” against its members.
Strecht, the church in this matter “court “It is a moral and ethical duty to cooperate with the authorities,” he said.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said the revelations “shocked society as a whole” and added that government officials, including the justice minister, would meet with the commission members.
Criticized in October for saying more than 400 cases of sexual abuse by clergy did not appear to be “particularly high” the president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said the church should be held accountable.
Portuguese bishops will meet on March 3 to consider implementing “more efficient and appropriate mechanisms” to prevent future abuses, Ornelas said.
USAIn a statement, the support group Survivors Network of Abuse by Priests (SNAP) in Portugal called on church officials to “prominently publish the name, photo, residence and employment history of the offending clergy.”
“Immediate action must be taken, and that is any bishop, chancellor, vicar who was complicit in what happened general or contain the dismissal of other church hierarchs,” SNAP said. “If there is no change at the top, nothing will change.”
Reporting by Catarina Demony; Edited by Mike Harrison
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Catarina Demony
2023-02-15 06:20:28
Source – reuters
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