Church abuse victims demand state audit; accuse bishops of slashing compensation

Victims of sexual abuse within Portugal’s Roman Catholic Church have called for a state audit of the Church’s compensation scheme, accusing the bishops of conducting an opaque process designed to minimise payouts while also, condemning President António José Seguro for failing to respond to victims’ concerns.

The association Coração Silenciado (the Silenced Heart), which represents survivors of clerical abuse, says it has been waiting since April for a meeting with the President and is now preparing to submit a dossier to parliament urging the State to investigate what it describes as an “unfair” compensation process carried out “behind closed doors”.

Speaking to Lusa news agency, spokesperson António Grosso said the State had abdicated responsibility by allowing the Church to investigate, assess and compensate victims without any kind of independent oversight.

“We want the State, once and for all, to assume responsibility for a process that the Church opened, conducted and closed entirely on its own terms,” said Grosso, adding that the process “was marked by numerous irregularities and a profound lack of respect for victims.”

The association sent a letter requesting a meeting with President Seguro on April 22 – but says it has received only vague replies indicating the request remains under consideration.

“This institutional silence is deeply worrying for dozens of victims who are still waiting for the State to hear their legitimate concerns,” says Grosso.

‘Designed to pay as little as possible’

Coração Silenciado argues that the compensation process lacked transparency from the outset, leaving victims unable to see the reports written about them or understand how compensation awards were actually calculated.

According to Grosso, an independent committee proposed compensation amounts, but the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) subsequently reduced many of those recommendations by roughly half.

“It amounted to a kind of 50% ecclesiastical tax,” he said.

He accused Church leaders of showing “a grave lack of integrity, consistency and justice”, arguing there appeared to have been “an attempt to minimise the number of recognised victims so they would have to pay as little as possible”.

The association also says many survivors who requested psychological support instead of financial compensation are still waiting for it.

‘The State cannot wash its hands’

Grosso argues that the Portuguese State also bears responsibility because many abused children were placed in Church-run institutions by public authorities.

“The State placed these children in religious institutions,” he said. “It therefore has a duty to establish whether they were properly cared for and why, if they were abused, they have still not received adequate redress.”

Thus, the association is asking parliament to launch an independent review of the entire compensation process – including the criteria used to reject claims and determine payment levels.

Grosso said the dossier submitted to MPs will also examine what he described as inconsistencies in the Church’s assessment of abuse cases.

Hundreds of victims, few compensated

The association points to a stark disparity between the scale of abuse identified by investigators and the number of people ultimately compensated.

Portugal’s Independent Commission estimated in February 2023 that at least 4,800 children had been sexually abused within the Catholic Church over several decades.

One Church-appointed commission later validated 512 testimonies, but the underlying data was subsequently destroyed, Grosso said. A later expert panel assessed just 97 compensation applications, rejecting 40 of them.

To date, 57 victims have been approved for compensation, while another nine cases have yet to have payment amounts determined. The approved awards currently total more than €1.6 million, with individual payments ranging from €9,000 to €45,000.

Grosso cited his own experience as an example of what he considers arbitrary decision-making.

He said he was abused between the ages of 10 and 13 both at a seminary in Santarém and at a boys’ home in Cova da Iria, Fátima. However, only the abuse at the seminary was recognised for compensation because Church authorities ruled the second institution did not qualify as a Church establishment.

“The abuse that wasn’t recognised was actually the worst period of my life,” he said.

Grosso also questions other rejected cases.

Previous calls for an independent inquiry

Grosso recalls that former President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa received the association in January 2024 and suggested that the Portuguese State establish its own independent commission to investigate the handling of Church abuse cases.

That proposal was never implemented.

In April, outgoing Portuguese Episcopal Conference president José Ornelas said the Church had spent around €3 million on investigations, victim support and compensation.

He also said criminal investigations remain ongoing and expressed hope that the judicial authorities would continue to examine outstanding allegations independently.

Source: LUSA