VITA Group has received new reports of sexual abuse in the Church

In this sense, Rute Agulhas believes that “the work is so important” that this structure has “been developed in close proximity to schools, scouts, catechists, precisely because these adults are the ones who are close to children and young people”.

The person in charge also noted that the VITA Group continues “to receive, since the beginning, requests for help from people who have been victims of abusive situations outside the Church, whether in the family, at school, non-Catholic school, in other contexts”.

“We are also, sometimes, approached for situations of domestic violence, situations that do not fall within the scope of our mission”, he said, explaining that the VITA group forwards these cases to the competent authorities, also depending on the person’s area of ​​residence.

According to Rute Agulhas, these requests, in these contexts, are not increasing.

Regarding the amount of financial compensation (between 9 thousand and 45 thousand euros) for victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, Rute Agulhas refused to comment, justifying that the VITA Group is not involved in defining the amounts.

Regarding the future of this structure, whose first three-year activity plan ends at the end of May, he assured that there is availability to continue.

“If so, naturally the way of working in the broadest sense will be the same, but in terms of more concrete objectives they will be redefined, because today, after three years, the mission will be a little different, the objectives will be a little different”, he declared.

If the VITA Group continues, a new activity plan will be presented.

“Both we and the Church have always said and repeated that, in fact, the process of financial compensation is only a small part of the entire process of reparation that is underway with regards, not only to the reception of victims, the referral to psychological support, medical support, the training of the Church’s own structures”, he explained.

According to Rute Agulhas, once the financial compensation process has been completed, “there is still a lot of work to be done and there is still a lot of change that needs to be implemented”.

The VITA Group presents itself as an autonomous and independent structure, which aims to welcome, listen, monitor and prevent situations of sexual violence against children and vulnerable adults in the context of the Catholic Church.