Although he may be reappointed, there have been news reports of his inability to continue in office. The pandemic and crisis of child sexual abuse in the church has undermined the powers of José Ornelas.
In line to take his place are the archbishops of Braga, José Cordeiro (55 years old) and Évora Francisco Senra Coelho (62 years old) and the bishop of Coimbra Virgilio Antunes (61 years old). In addition to the CEP President, the remaining members of the Permanent Council and the Presidents of the Episcopal Commissions will be elected. What’s new is the opportunity to elect a non-professional as CEP secretary for the first time.
The establishment of a body to replace the Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church is another topic of discussion.An independent commission led by child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht corroborated 512 of the 564 testimonies received, indicating, by extrapolation, that the minimum number of victims was about 4,815.
Author: Edgar Nascimento
Source: CM Jornal
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