Report: Over 4,000 youngsters have been sexually molested in Portugal.

According to a recent investigation, the Portuguese Catholic Church has assaulted at least 4,815 minors sexually since 1950.

According to the panel looking into the matter, 77% of the abusers were priests, and the majority of the victims were males.

The president of the panel and child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht stated, “We want to pay a true respect to individuals who were abuse victims throughout their childhood and dared to give a voice to silence.” They are so much more than a number.

Strecht said that the youngsters were assaulted in a variety of places, including confessionals, priests’ residences, and catholic schools.

The report’s specialists said in October that it had 424 verified testimonies from alleged victims. They issued a warning that the number of victims was “far bigger” based on their testimonies.

“Serious circumstances which lingered for decades… and in some instances reached pandemic dimensions,” the testimonies said.

Worldwide, there have been thousands of complaints of paedophilia involving the Church, and Pope Francis is under greater pressure than ever to address the problem.

After a French investigation found that over 3,000 priests and religious authorities had sexually molested more than 200,000 children, Portugal’s independent inquiry, which was commissioned by the Church, started working on its findings last year.

The claims have been made by individuals from many ethnic groups and nations, as well as Portuguese citizens who reside abroad.

Miniechat

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