Portugal’s Catholic Church will pay 57 sexual abuse victims a total of 1.61 million euros ($1.8 million), three years after a 2023 report revealed widespread clerical abuse.
The Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse found that at least 4,815 minors had been victims of Church sexual violence since 1950.
The Portuguese Episcopal Conference and the Conference of Religious Institutes of Portugal said the Church received 95 compensation claims, rejecting 28.
The amounts granted to the 57 approved victims, including children and vulnerable adults, range from 9,000 euros ($10,000) to 45,000 euros.
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“We know that granting financial compensation does not erase what happened, nor does it remove the consequences of the abuse in the lives of those who suffered it,” the statement said.
“With this concrete gesture, the Church in Portugal wishes to acknowledge the suffering and dignity of every person who has been a victim of such attacks, seeking the possible reparation of the harm suffered.”
The 2023 report, which collected more than 500 testimonies over a year, said the Church hierarchy had systematically concealed cases of child sexual abuse.
Portuguese bishops have asked victims for forgiveness, and Pope Francis met with 13 survivors during his visit to Portugal in August 2023 for World Youth Day in Lisbon.