The hugely embarrassing aspect of the commission currently investigating sex abuse within the Portuguese Catholic Church is that a number of complaints that have come forward concern practising clergy. The Cardinal Patriarch Manuel Clemente said over the Easter weekend that each case has to be analysed before any action is taken. Last Thursday, the head of Portugal’s Catholic Church apoloigised to all the victims who have come forwards, saying prevention of the scourge of sex abuse should happen “not just within the Church as in society in general”.
