In Portugal, the Catholic Church asks for forgiveness from victims of pedocrime

The Portuguese commission to investigate allegations of sexual abuse committed on children by members of the Catholic Church unveils its report, in Lisbon.

The Portuguese Catholic Church on Friday asked for forgiveness from victims of sexual violence committed by members of the clergy, following the publication of an independent report on the extent of the phenomenon of pedocrime.

It is with pain that once again we ask for forgiveness from all victims of sexual assault within the Catholic Church in Portugal, the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) said in a statement. press release read at the end of a meeting devoted to this subject in the sanctuary city of Fatima.

A public gesture expressing this request for forgiveness will be organized in Fatima in April, and a memorial will be created on the occasion of the World Youth Days, which will bring together a multitude of young Catholics in Lisbon at the beginning of August.

The Portuguese bishops had promised to take concrete measures in response to the conclusions of an independent commission they had appointed, at the end of 2021, to shed light on the phenomenon of pedocrime within the Church .

After collecting more than 500 testimonials in the space of a year, this group of expe independent rts has established that at least 4815 minors have been victims of sexual violence in a religious context since 1950.

This violence has been covered up by the hierarchy of the hierarchy. Church systemically, they added in their findings.