sexually abused in Portugal
Pedro Streicht, the child psychiatrist who headed the commission, told Reuters: “We want to pay a real tribute to those who were abused as children.
A sensational claim has emerged regarding the Catholic Church of Portugal. An explosive report has claimed that more than 4,000 children have been sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church in the last 70 years. The commission that published the report said the findings were just the tip of the iceberg and the true figure could be much higher, the Reuters news agency reported. Pedro Streicht, the child psychiatrist who headed the commission, told Reuters: “We want to pay a real tribute to those who were abused as children.
He said they are more than a statistic. Most of the perpetrators were priests and most of the victims were men. Streich said that she was abused in Catholic schools, churches, clergy houses and among other places. Most of the sexual abuse took place when the children were between the ages of 10 and 14, with the youngest victim just two years old. The Portuguese Catholic Church was rocked last year by cases of an alleged sexual abuse cover-up involving bishops who were active on church functions. The commission said it is preparing a list of accused priests who are still working.
A total of 25 witnesses heard by the commission were referred to the prosecutor’s office for questioning, as was done with all the others 20 years ago, and legal proceedings could no longer be initiated. The commission said the law must be changed so that legal action can be brought for historic crimes committed 30 years ago.
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