Vatican anti-abuse commission demands clearer rules on compensating victims

FILE PHOTO: People participate in a vigil in support of the 4,815 children that were sexually abused by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church, according to the commission investigating the issue, in Lisbon, Portugal, February 22, 2023. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Catholic Church needs to unify policies on compensating victims of sexual abuse by clergy, the Vatican's child protection commission said in its first annual report on Tuesday.

For decades, the Church has been shaken by scandals across the world involving paedophile priests and the cover-up of their crimes, damaging its credibility and costing it hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.