At least 4,815 children sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Portugal since 1950

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Members of an independent committee said Monday that at least 4,815 children have been sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Portugal since 1950.

After 512 people came forward with their testimony, coordinator of the investigation Pedro Strecht said that was the “absolute minimum” number of victims.

Speaking to media, Strecht explained that the commission found that the sexual abuse most commonly began just after the victims’ 11th birthdays.

It also found that most of the abuses occurred between 1960 and 1990, although dozens of abuses occurred this century. The committee said it would send a list of 25 cases to the Portuguese justice system, which could still be prosecuted under the statute of limitations.

The investigation revealed that 96% of the abusers were men, and 77% were priests.

“The fundamental characteristic of the abuse is the power that the abuser has over the child,” said psychiatrist and committee member Daniel Sampaio. “In religious institutions, this is only amplified because the spiritual relationship between the abuser and child makes the child more vulnerable.”

While Catholic bishops had previously only admitted to a handful of sexual abuse cases in Portugal, the Catholic Church has come out in support of this independent inquiry.

The church is expected to release an official statement in reaction to the findings later Monday, which could include a decision to compensate victims.

This was the first major independent investigation into sexual abuse in the Catholic church in Portugal. A similar study is currently underway in neighboring Spain.

In 2021, a similar inquiry in France found that some 216,000 children had been sexually abused by clergy since 1950.