The cut brings the total to 1.6 million euros, around 500 thousand euros below the recommendation given by the independent commission, which was 2.1 million euros.
The Portuguese Episcopal Conference decided reduce by around 500 thousand euros the total amount of compensation to be awarded to victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, relating to cases that occurred over the last 70 years. The decision, known after the last plenary meeting, is generating strong opposition among the victims.
According to the , the Compensation Setting Committee had proposed a global value close to 2.1 million euros for 57 completed processes. However, the bishops set the final amount at 1.6 million eurossignificantly reducing the initially recommended amounts.
In the opening speech of the plenary assembly, the president of the CEP, José Ornelas, justified the decision based on several criteria, namely the jurisprudence of the Portuguese courts, the comparison with practices adopted in other European countries and the economic situation of the Church in Portugal. According to the person responsible, the final decision rests with the bishops, even after the technical opinion of the independent commission.
A source at the conference also stressed that all the cases in question already prescribed in civil justicewith the compensation granted being a voluntary initiative by the dioceses, interpreted as a gesture of good faith. Even so, the cuts had a direct impact on individual values: the minimum compensation fell from around 11,200 to 9,000 euros, while the maximum went from 58,500 to 45,000 euros.
The decision provoked outrage among victims, who consider the reduction “unacceptable”. Some question the usefulness of the independent commission, since the recommendations ended up not being fully followed. Despite their dissatisfaction, they admit not to resort to legal action, due to the statute of limitations for the crimes, assuming a position of “legal resignation” and appealing to the conscience of the Church.
The theme must remain at the center of attention, at a time when the Portuguese Church prepares to elect new leadership. Among the main challenges for the future president of the CEP will be the management of this compensation process and the response to demands for greater transparency from victims.
