The Church will systematize data on abuse and will publish it twice a year.

The number of cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church reported to the Grupo Vita or diocesan commissions for the protection of minors will be systematized and published twice a year by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP).

Paulo Margarido, President of the National Coordination Group of the Diocesan and Military Commissions for the Protection of Minors and Venerable Adults, announced this Saturday in Fátima, at the end of the meeting of these commissions, that as a result of the meeting, a commitment was made to “standardize standardize” the data collected in a table with defined fields , where “processes coming in, processes being archived, processes being shut down, and with appropriate motivation for this purpose” can be assessed, which will be released twice a year to media by postcode.

The collection and processing of this data will be carried out by the 21 diocesan commissions and Grupo Vita, which was also in Fatima this Saturday for a meeting dedicated to the “most appropriate procedures” for receiving and processing complaints from victims, based on “two words: cooperation and reciprocity in the name of the highest a good that is actually the object of protection that is the victims,” said Paula Margarido.

No specific numbers were presented at Saturday’s meeting.

The Fatima meeting also addressed the issue of possible compensation for victims.

This Saturday, the journal Jornal de Notícias reported that “a group of Catholic lawyers has prepared and has already submitted to the national coordination of diocesan commissions for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults the first opinion on the payment of compensation to victims of sexual abuse.” .

“The issue of moral and financial compensation is being considered by the Church of Portugal. The Portuguese Episcopal Bishops’ Conference asked the Vita group to prepare an opinion on this issue. Meanwhile (…) a group of Catholic lawyers, people associated with Catholics, the Church decided on its own initiative to express its opinion, its understanding on this matter,” said Paula Margarido, adding that it was Vita Group, when it “has everything consolidated and everything studied”, will present “its understanding” on this matter to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, which will then decide at the appropriate time and proclaim its justice.”

Regarding the position of the 21 diocesan and military commissions on the issue of paying compensation to victims, those responsible for the National Coordination Group admitted that they were aware of “a matter that, in fact, is a complex matter that is not easy to implement.” , this must be taken into account, and in which other countries have taken a path that may not necessarily be the same as the one that will be followed in Portugal.

“Within the 21 diocesan commissions, which include lawyers, prosecutors and court judges, the opinion is not unanimous. In fact, this is not a very simple issue to understand and discuss. If we approach the very specific legal and technical concept of compensation, it will not be possible to achieve this, or even if it is possible, it will actually be very difficult,” he added.

At the initiative of the CEP, an independent commission led by pediatric psychiatrist Pedro Strecht investigated cases of sexual abuse of minors in the context of the Catholic Church over the past 70 years and presented its final report on February 13, 2023, after a year of work. , which verified 512 testimonies, resulting in a total of 4,815 victims between 1950 and 2022.

The collection of reports of cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and the monitoring of victims was continued by the creation of the Vita group, led by psychologist Rute Agulhas, which submitted its first activity report on December 12, 2023. in which it reports that since the beginning of its work, on May 22, 2023, it has identified 64 victims of sexual violence and one aggressor.

In February 2022, the CEP created the National Coordination of Diocesan Commissions for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults with the aim of “advising the work of each diocesan commission, proposing general procedures and recommendations, assisting in everything that can protect victims and clarifying the canonical and civil regulatory frameworks relating to abuse processes.” treatment of children, both in relation to monitoring the victim and caring for the aggressor.”

The group was initially headed by the former Attorney General of the Republic, José Souto Moura, and since July 2023 it has been headed by lawyer Paula Margarido.