MADRID (AP) — The Catholic Church said Thursday it has unanimously agreed to pay some form of compensation to victims of sex abuse by clergy. The country’s Bishops Conference said after a four-day general assembly meeting at the Fatima shrine that it will establish a fund with contributions from all the Portuguese dioceses to cover any payments that are due. “In communion with the suffering of the victims, the Portuguese Bishops reaffirm their total commitment to do everything within their power to make amends, and express their hope that this process of welcoming, accompanying and preventing will contribute to the actions of society,” the Bishops’ Conference said. Church officials have stated that 20 victims so far have requested compensation. A 2023 report by the Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church found that more than 4,800 people may have been victims of child sex abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church. More than 500 alleged victims have come forward with their accounts. The Committee, established by Portugal, looked into alleged cases from 1950 onwards. In most of the alleged cases, the statute of limitations has expired. The Portuguese church has softened its position on potential payments in recent years. Previously it had said it would pay victims only if obliged to by courts. Victims will have to submit their requests to the independent VITA Group for victims, or the Diocesan Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults, between June and December. An evaluation commission will then decide how much money the victims will receive.