Episcopal Conference: There is a new awareness against abuse

The Portuguese Episcopal Conference acknowledged this Thursday that there is still much work to be done, but argued that there is now a new awareness of intolerance towards abuse, following the publication of a report on the protection of minors.

In a statement, the Catholic Church structure said it welcomed “with attention and in a spirit of communion” the Annual Report on Church policies and procedures in matters of protection for 2024, published this Thursday by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

"Continuous attention to victims has led us on a path of justice and reparation, and the Church in Portugal continues to learn, even in its weaknesses, to become increasingly secure and faithful to its mission of caring and protecting," the statement reads.

"We recognize that there is still much work to be done, but the paradigm shift is undeniable: there is a new and widespread awareness of intolerance towards abuse and accountability for those who, having children and vulnerable adults in their care, fail to protect them adequately," the CEP stated.

The CEP recalled the work of the VITA Group and the Diocesan Commissions for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults in identifying risks and cited the ongoing training of the professionals involved and the empowerment of children and vulnerable adults to say “no” and to report possible aggression.

In this sense, he stressed that he has been developing measures, in conjunction with the Conference of Religious Institutes of Portugal (CIRP) and the National Conference of Secular Institutes in Portugal (CNISP), which “are in line with the report” now published.

The measures listed include the creation of reporting structures at national and diocesan levels, coordination with civil society through the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Judicial Police, the establishment of listening centers for victims and survivors, spiritual and psychological support, as well as financial compensation for victims of sexual abuse in the church.

"We take note of the suggestions in this report, which resulted from the ad limina visit of the Bishops of Portugal in May 2024. We will carefully analyze the recommendations for their implementation, many of which are already underway and others are being prepared for public presentation soon," the CEP stated.

A Vatican commission has recommended that the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) apply a "robust audit mechanism" to the Vita Group, which the CEP created to monitor sexual abuse in the Church, the Ecclesia news agency reported Thursday.

The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (CPPM), which dedicates a chapter of its annual report to the activities of the Portuguese CEP, suggests that the audit mechanism integrate victims and survivors into policy development.

After commissioning an Independent Commission in 2022 to study cases of sexual abuse in the Church in Portugal over the past 70 years, the CEP created the Vita Group the following year to receive complaints of abuse, work on prevention, and support victims and aggressors.

In early 2023, the Independent Commission had presented a report, validating 512 testimonies relating to situations of abuse.

According to Ecclesia, the CPPM also recommends that the Vita Group have “a strong and clear mandate” from the CEP to “promote robust training on safeguarding in all dioceses”, calling on diocesan commissions to promote “robust data collection (…) to foster a culture of transparency and data-based accountability”.