Around 5,000 kids have been sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Portugal since 1950: Report

An independent commission investigating the matter of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy in Portugal has said that nearly 5,000 children were abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church since 1950. This comprises mostly priests, the commission said in a report on Monday. It added that the findings are the "tip of the iceberg".

Paedophilia within the church has emerged as a glaring issue around the world, with those affected calling on Pope Francis to tackle the scandal.

"(We want) to pay a sincere tribute to those who were abuse victims during their childhood and dared to give a voice to silence," said child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, who headed the commission. "They are much more than a statistic."

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Strecht said the 4,815 cases were the "absolute minimum" number of victims that fell prey to the sexual abuse by clergy members in Portugal in the last 70 years. "These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg," he said.

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Priests made up for most of the perpetrators (77 per cent) and 57 per cent of the victims were men, Strecht said. He informed that the abuse happened in Catholic schools, churches, priests' homes, confessionals, among other locations. Those abused mostly belonged to the 10-14 age group, with the youngest victim being just two-years-old.

The commission heard from more than 500 survivors last year before publishing the report.

Strecht further said that now that the report is out, it would be difficult for Portugal to ignore the existence of child sexual abuse and the resulting trauma.

The head of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP), Bishop José Ornelas, in his response to the report, said, “I am satisfied with this difficult and dramatic work, and we hope it marks a new beginning.”

Head of the Bishops' Conference, Jose Ornelas, attended the presentation in Lisbon and told a news conference that the revelations were an "open wound that hurts and shames us".

He also informed that the Portuguese bishops will meet on March 3 and look into implementing "more efficient and appropriate mechanisms" to prevent future abuses.

Last year, the Portuguese Catholic Church was hit with allegations of covering up sexual abuse including by bishops who remain active in church roles.

(With inputs from agencies)

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