The PSD will chair the working group to review possible changes to the child sexual abuse legislation, which was approved this Wednesday by the parliamentary committee on constitutional affairs.
The request to set up this working group was submitted by PS, PSD, IL, Bloco, PCP, PAN and Livre and was approved today by PSD and PS in the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees.
According to the chairman of the committee, the social democrat Fernando Negrão, the PSD will chair this working group.
A request from Chega on the same subject was ultimately harmed, as a first request with the same goal had already been approved.
Discussing the text, PS deputy Cláudia Santos defended that all parties and deputies who signed the request intend to start the debate after the publication of the report of the independent commission “not to be a debate in vain”.
In this working group, he explained, some of the entities whose hearing has already been approved will be heard, defending that “a study on the necessary changes to the law” should be carried out.
“We think that this working group should take on the work that characterizes the specialty of the legislative initiatives that have already been adopted or that will be adopted,” he added.
Mónica Quintela, from the PSD, agreed, adding that the abuses revealed in the framework of the independent commission “are a sad reality”.
The Social Democrat stressed the importance of “giving a voice to the victims and trying to prevent” more of these crimes.
On March 8, the Constitutional Affairs Commission unanimously approved hearings with the Independent Commission for the Study of Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Church, with the President of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP), José Ornelas, with the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon. Manuel Clemente, and the Secretary of Justice, among others.
On this subject, two BE and PAN bills extending the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of minors until the victim reaches the age of 30 have already been widely adopted, and Chega’s initiatives to increase sentences have been rejected.
The Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church validated 512 testimonials, which, by extrapolation, pointed to at least 4,815 victims of abuse.
Some dioceses have already decided to remove some priests from office, namely Angra, in the Azores (two priests), Évora (one), Guarda (one), Braga (one) and Vila Real (one).
The position of the Catholic Church on the issue of sexual abuse of minors is evolving and the president of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop José Ornelas, has already admitted that the institution can compensate victims.
Source: DN
