Over 4,000 Children abused by Catholic Church in Portugal

Date: 15-02-20223

Emily Wolfe 

Europe and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

In a disturbing report released on Monday, February 13th, by an independent inquiry, commissioned by the Catholic church of Portugal; it was revealed that over 4,000 children were sexually abused by members of the clergy in the country (Aljazeera, 2023). The report details abuse that occurred over the course of several decades, with the youngest victim being only six years old.

The report (Reuters, 2023), which was commissioned by the Portuguese Bishops Conference, covers the period from 1940 to 2020 and is the first comprehensive study of sexual abuse by the Catholic Church in Portugal. The findings are based on an analysis of the records of all 20 Catholic dioceses in the country, and interviews with over 500 survivors (Agence France Presse, 2023).

According to the report, a total of 1,103 clergy members were identified as perpetrators of sexual abuse, with 97 per cent  of them being priests. Most of the abuse occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, but cases were reported as recently as 2019 (Aljazeera, 2023).

The report also notes that the Church in Portugal failed to adequately respond to allegations of abuse, with many cases not being reported to the authorities. The Church's culture of secrecy and protection of its own reputation was cited as a major factor in the failure to address the problem.

The release of the report has been met with outrage and calls for justice from victims and their advocates. In a statement, the Portuguese Bishops Conference expressed "deep shame and remorse" (Aljazeera, 2023)  for the abuse and pledged to take action to prevent it from happening in the future.

However, many are skeptical of the Church's commitment to addressing the issue, given its track record of cover-ups and denials. Some are calling for the prosecution of those responsible for the abuse, as well as reforms to the Church's internal processes for dealing with allegations of abuse (Agence France Presse, 2023).

The Catholic Church has faced numerous scandals related to sexual abuse by its clergy around the world in recent years, with reports of abuse and cover-ups in countries such as Ireland, Australia, and the United States. While the Church has taken some steps to address the problem, critics say that more needs to be done to hold abusers and those who enabled them accountable.

Sources and Further Reading:

Al-Jazeera. (2023, February 13). Over 4,000 children abused by Portugal’s Catholic Church: Report. Al-Jazeera. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/13/over-4000-children-abused-by-portugals-catholic-church-report

Agence France Presse in Lisbon. (2023, February 13.) Portugal: Catholic clergy abused nearly 5,000 children since 1950, inquiry finds. The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/13/portugal-catholic-clergy-abuse-nearly-5000-children-since-1950-inquiry-finds

Reuters. (2023, February 13). Child abuse found in Portugal Catholic Church is 'tip of iceberg', commission says. Reuters. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-abused-by-members-portuguese-church-past-70-years-2023-02-13/