Portugal's Catholic Church to pay compensation to victims of sex abuse

By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID (AA) - Portugal’s Catholic Church announced Thursday that it will pay compensation to victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

Catholic Church bishops met in the city of Fatima in central Portugal to discuss a number of issues, including the compensation

In a statement, the Church said it will financially compensate the sex abuse victims and they could apply for compensation between June and December this year.

It noted that the compensation will be paid by a fund established by the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, a collective body of the national church and the administration of the Roman Catholic Church in Portugal.

An independent commission that investigated allegations of sexual abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church announced in February last year that at least 4,815 minors had been abused by clergy since 1950.

The church apologized for the sex abuse cases.