Portuguese Catholic Church to Pay €1.61 Million to First 57 Victims of Sexual Abuse

The Portuguese Catholic Church announced it will pay €1.61 million in compensation to the first 57 victims of sexual abuse, with individual payments reaching up to €45,000 per person. The decision follows a report by an independent commission that revealed nearly 5,000 minors had been sexually abused within church institutions since 1950. While church officials acknowledged that money cannot erase the trauma suffered by victims, they described the compensation as a necessary gesture to recognize the dignity of those who were abused.