The continuity or not of the bishop of Leiria-Fátima, José Ornelas, at the head of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (CEP) is one of the themes that will dominate the Plenary Assembly of the episcopate, which takes place between Monday and Thursday, in Fátima.
José Ornelas has now reached the end of his first three-year term, and may be re-elected for the same period. In recent weeks, however, there have been news that report his alleged unavailability to continue in office.
The wear and tear caused by three years in office marked by the covid-19 pandemic and the crisis of sexual abuse of minors in the Church will be the basis for José Ornelas’ eventual non-reelection.
Also the fact that news appeared about his alleged cover-up of cases of abuse, as superior of the Dehonians, will be contributing to the possible non-continuation of José Ornelas as president of the CEP.
If he is not elected for a new term, however, it will remain for history that it was under his presidency that the CEP decided to create the Independent Commission which, over the course of a year, collected the testimonies of alleged victims of sexual abuse within the Church, in what was seen as a decisive step towards facing the problem head on.
The names of the archbishops of Braga (José Cordeiro) and Évora (Francisco Senra Coelho), as well as the bishop of Coimbra (Virgílio Antunes) have been pointed out as possible candidates, if José Ornelas confirms his unavailability to continue.
In addition to the CEP president, the remaining members of the Permanent Council and the presidents of the different Episcopal Commissions will also be elected.
What is new is the possibility of, for the first time, a layperson being elected as secretary of the CEP, after the review of the statutes approved by the Holy See on March 30th.
“It is the first time that this has happened, that there is this possibility of election. This is also a relevant aspect for the life of the Episcopal Conference”, said Father Manuel Barbosa, current secretary of the CEP, in statements to the Ecclesia agency.
A highlight in the works of this plenary meeting of the Portuguese Catholic episcopate will also be the constitution of the body that will replace the Independent Commission for the Study of Sexual Abuses against Children in the Portuguese Catholic Church, and which will be coordinated by forensic psychologist Rute Agulhas, who integrates the Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults of the Patriarchate of Lisbon.
On March 3, the Portuguese bishops, after a meeting to analyze the Independent Commission’s report, announced their readiness to create a “specific group” to listen to the victims, which will be “articulated with the National Coordination Team of the Diocesan Commissions of Protection of Vulnerable Minors and Adults”, which is led by former Attorney General José Souto Moura.
The Independent Commission led by child psychiatrist Pedro Strecht validated 512 of the 564 testimonies received, pointing, by extrapolation, to a minimum number of victims of around 4815.
Twenty-five cases were reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which led to the opening of 15 inquiries, of which nine have already been archived, six remaining under investigation.
These testimonies refer to cases that occurred between 1950 and 2022, the period covered by the commission’s work.
Following these results, some dioceses cautiously removed some priests from the ministry.
Meanwhile, next Thursday, the last day of the CEP Plenary Assembly, the bishops will celebrate the Eucharist at 11:00 am, in the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, in Fátima, in the context of the national day of prayer for victims of “sexual abuse, power and conscience in the Church”.
This moment, of public apology to the victims, had already been announced by the CEP, on March 3rd.
The preparation of the World Youth Day, scheduled for the beginning of August in Lisbon, with the presence of the Pope, will also be on the work table of the Portuguese Catholic bishops next week, in Fatima, as well as the synodal process or the centenary of the National Corps of Listeners.
