At least 4,815 children have been sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church, mostly priests, over the past 70 years, according to the final report of the commission investigating the matter. Boys suffered the most.

“(We want to) pay tribute to those who were victims of childhood abuse and dared to remain silent,” said the head of the commission, child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht. “This is much more than just statistics,” he said, to highlight the implications for these people.

Most of the perpetrators — 77 percent — were priests, and most of the victims were men, Strecht said, adding that they were abused in Catholic schools, priests’ houses and confessionals, among other places.

José Ornelas, head of the Bishops’ Conference, attended the presentation of the final report and his announcement is expected later in the day. The Portuguese Catholic Church has previously said it is ready to “take appropriate action”.

The Portuguese commission began its work last January after a report in France showed that some 3,000 priests and religious figures sexually abused more than 200,000 children.

Complaints of ill-treatment come from people of various backgrounds from all regions of the country, as well as from Portuguese citizens living elsewhere in Europe, Africa and the Americas.

The commission, which calls itself independent, was funded by the Catholic Church. Asked by Reuters in December 2021 if this could pose a threat to the commission’s independence, Mr Strecht said he would be the first to resign and denounce it if the church interfered in the investigation process.

Source: Reuters.