“I didn’t mean to offend when I said what I said, but if you understand that one of the victims was offended, I apologize for that as that was not my intention.” For example, the President of the Republic (PR) publicly apologized on Thursday after saying last Tuesday that the 424 complaints received by the independent commission investigating alleged sexual abuse by members of the clergy are not “a particularly high number. “
We must not forget that these statements have sparked criticism across the political spectrum – with the exception of the government, which showed solidarity with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. In fact, the unanimity of criticism is unprecedented: Never before had Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa faced such censorship since he took office during his first term, in 2016. This meant it was explained twice that day: the first in a note on the official Presidency website; the second, to RTP, where he tried to clarify the meaning of the intervention he had made hours earlier: “Download? No, these 424 cases place great value on the very ones who had the courage to go and denounce I think it’s short. My belief is that there will be many more.”
Without ever directly commenting on the words of the head of state, the president of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop José Ornelas, also took sides after the intervention of the PR. “They’re people, not numbers. They’re people with very big dramas. It’s good to have an explanation for everyone, it’s not the numbers that scare me. This is already a big number”discussed on Wednesday at a press conference.
On Thursday, the head of state again spoke publicly about the matter. It was the fourth time since the first intervention on Tuesday morning. In addition to apologizing to the victims, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa took the opportunity to reiterate that the purpose of the statements was another purpose: to appreciate the complaints made, knowing that more cases will go unreported for various reasons, such as fear – something that is also the belief of the independent commission appointed to investigate these cases of abuse to research. “The goal was exactly the opposite: the fear that many victims, out of fear, out of limitation, had not spoken and the number, which should have been even higher, had remained where it was,” he justified in statements after being present. on an initiative at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon.
Heard by the DN, theologian Anselmo Borges joins the criticism of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, but he is convinced of the human side of PR. “The president rushed and was clearly unhappy with the statement,” he says. “I am convinced that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is a devout Catholic and I believe that his position will always be to align himself with the humanity of the victims and those who have suffered as a result.”
Remember, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa never hid his devotion to the Catholic religion. But on Tuesday, he declined in his statements to RTP that belief clouds his vision and consequently affects the presidential term (which expires in 2026). “Do you think faith affects the mandate when the president takes a complaint from the chief bishop and signs it for the head of the Civil House to immediately pass it on to the prosecution? , referring to a complaint he received and forwarded to the Attorney General’s office on Sept. 6, which allegedly charged Ornelas with concealing cases of abuse of minors.
Church image tarnished before World Day
Less than a year before the start of World Youth Day (WYD), scheduled for August next year, all this controversy could tarnish the image of the country and the national church itself, Anselmo Borges believes. “Of course it remains tarnished. These events and these cases are perverse. A single case was enough to tarnish the image of the church, let alone 424″argues.
For the theologian, this is the perfect moment for “the church to convert and to stop being so imperial”, but he emphasizes: “There must be openness to this. This is also a fact in Portugal”. This, he says, will result in “greater distance from the population. The municipality must resolve this as soon as possible.”.
Despite his position, Anselmo Borges believes it is important that “priests, bishops and others ask forgiveness for what they have done and support those who have been offended. Be it psychologically or even financially. It’s the least that needs to be done”, and reinforces the call of D. José Ornelas, who has called for a tight loophole in the investigation of the cases. “The call to be made is exactly this: investigate, investigate, investigate. The bishop’s word is the word that I think should be taken into account,” he concluded.
Source: DN
