After the extraordinary revelations – and the sense of hope – that came from the independent commission set up almost four years ago to investigate child sex abuse within the Portuguese Catholic Church, Expresso reports that none of the complaints that emerged from the woodwork have led to formal charges being brought in court.
In a nutshell, all claims made against Catholic priests still living have been archived.
In the majority of cases, cases were dismissed because the alleged offences were already time-barred under criminal law. In the other cases, they met the same fate as there was considered to be “insufficient solid evidence” to proceed with an indictment (in spite of the commission’s belief that more than 100 abusers were still working as priests).
Although the law states that the statute of limitations for such offences only begins to run after the victim’s 25th birthday, Expresso reports that many of the complaints were lodged many years after the alleged incidents took place. A large proportion of the cases occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, and in some instances, witnesses or even the priests under suspicion will have already died.
According to data now revealed, it is known that 15 investigations opened following allegations made to the Independent Commission were eventually closed – as were the 28 formal complaints of abuse received by Grupo Vita, which succeeded the commission established in 2022 and dissolved in 2023.
An official source from the Patriarchate of Lisbon told Expresso that, over the past year, they have not received any new alleged cases of sexual abuse within the Church.
The news will not animate victims, who are still battling for compensation for the abuse they received, mostly as young children – and who have repeatedly complained that the Church’s response to this scandal in plain sight has always been to protect its own, and move as slowly as acceptably possible towards closure.
source: Observador citing Expresso
Natasha Donn
Journalist for the Portugal Resident.