Child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, coordinator of an independent commission that investigates child sexual abuse in Portugal, said that at least 4,815 minors have been victims of pedophiles in the Catholic Church since 1950.
The specialist presented a report in which he assures that throughout 2022 an investigation was carried out expressly integrating personalities unrelated to the Church, among others, a former Minister of Justice, a sociologist and a social worker.
Since January of last year, which was where the study began, data were collected more than 500 testimonials.
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“During the first weeks, more than a hundred complaints appeared. By October, there were already more than 400. For this reason Strecht warned that the number could be much higher.
The chronology of the cases begins in 1950, encompassing victims who are now 88 years old. That supposes the prescription of the crime for the majority of the victims. However, there are other testimonies that have already been sent to the Prosecutor’s Office for the opening of criminal proceedings, said the coordinator.
By percentage of abused children
“It is not possible to quantify the total number of crimes,” admitted Strecht, who denounced that “most of the victims were abused more than once” according to the conclusions of the investigation carried out by the commission on the abuses that occurred in the Church in recent years. 70 years in Portugal.
The report revealed that the most abusers were men (96%) and priests about 70% and the abuses occurred in seminaries, reception centers, schools or sports institutions.
the mean of The age of the victims was barely over 11 years old. and now most of them are about 52 years old. The bulk were children and they withdrew from the Church. By zones, the crimes were registered throughout the country, with special incidence in Lisbon, Porto and Braga.
On delivery of the document
The document was delivered this Sunday to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, presided over by Bishop José Ornelas. A plenary assembly is scheduled for March 3 to jointly analyze the implications of the report.
