Portuguese bishop says conscience clear about abuse claims
By BARRY HATTON
Associated Press
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — A senior Portuguese Catholic Church official who has been named in investigations involving alleged cover-ups of sex abuse by priests says his conscience is clear. The head of the Portuguese Bishops Conference, Bishop José Ornelas, denied any wrongdoing or improper conduct in the cases dating from 2011 and 2014. Ornelas also presides over Portugal’s world-famous shrine at Fatima. Ornelas is being investigated by Portugal’s attorney general’s office on suspicion he covered up for abuser priests in Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony. He also faces accusations he covered up for an abusive priest in northern Portugal several years later.