Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa issued an official note on Tuesday in which he confirmed that he informed D. José Ornelas that he had sent to the Public Ministry a complaint that was circulating about the current Bishop Leiria-Fátima about an alleged cover-up of cases of sexual abuse. in the church
The issue gained momentum after, in an interview with TVI, Ornelas assured that the President of the Republic had called him to explain that he had sent the complaint to the Public Ministry. “[Marcelo] my name is. he told me he had sent [a denúncia] to the Attorney General’s Office”, explained the president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference.
When asked by the journalist Sandra Felgueiras about what she had responded to Marcelo, Ornelas was strange. “I find it strange that you don’t know. I come to To know now that there is an investigation”, answered the bishop.
However, in the note now sent to the newsrooms and published on the Presidency website, Marcelo does not deny that he spoke with Ornelas about the case. But he says something else: the Head of State explains that it was the media — and not the — who informed the Bishop of Leiria of the existence of the complaint.
Marcelo now writes: “The Presidency of the Republic sent to the Attorney General’s Office, on September 6, a complaint involving, namely, D. José Ornelas. After that date, the Presidency of the Republic was contacted by various Media Organs, to confirm said shipment, which it naturally confirmed. THE 24th SeptemberThe President of the Republic confirmed this shipment to D. José Ornelas, after being contacted by the Media about it.”
That is, at this specific point: who notified whom — The versions of Marcelo and Ornelas are contradictory. The Public Ministry confirmed that it was investigating Bishop D. José Ornelas, president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, for an alleged cover-up of sexual abuse, revealing that there had already been an investigation with possible links to this case in 2011.
Source: Observadora
