The clerical abuse watchdog BishopAccountability.org issued a statement following the pope’s meeting calling for “true reform” to accompany gestures and apologies, and for the pope to enact a “zero tolerance” policy for abusers.
“The thousands of people who were sexually abused as children in the Portuguese Church deserve better. They deserve the ‘concrete actions’ that the pope repeatedly has promised,” it said.
Earlier this year, an independent investigation commissioned by the Portuguese bishops estimated that 4,815 children had been sexually abused by clerics in Portugal in the past 70 years. The report, based on 512 validated testimonies, found that the majority of the abuse cases (58%) occurred between 1960 and 1990.
Following the report, Catholic bishops in Portugal launched “Grupo Vita” (“Life Group”), a lay commission headed by psychologist Rute Agulhas dedicated to receiving reports of abuse and accompanying victims.
In March, Portuguese bishops signed a protocol in Fatima with the Portuguese Association for Victim Support outlining steps to ensure “zero tolerance” for abuse during World Youth Day, taking place this week in Lisbon from Aug. 1–6.
Pope Francis previously met with victims of clerical abuse in his travels in the United States, Chile, Ireland, and Canada.