Pope Francis will go on a five-day visit next week to Portugal, where a scandal that erupted earlier this year over sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is still in the spotlight.

A panel of experts reported in February that at least 4815 Portuguese boys and girls had been abused since 1950.

Before these surprising findings, senior Portuguese church officials said there had only been a small number of such cases, writes the Voice of America.

The fallout from the scandal is still being felt in Portugal, where Pope Francis will attend International Youth Day. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world will participate in this event organized by the Catholic Church.

During a live television broadcast, experts reported in February that at least 4815 boys and girls had been abused since 1950, most between the ages of 10 and 14.

After the report, the Catholic Church lost even more credibility with a clumsy and hesitant response, prompting the victims to form their first group in Portugal to seek compensation.

Although the scandal is not on the Pope's official agenda, he is expected to meet with the victims during his five-day visit. The fact that the meeting is not even on the official program has been criticized by victims of abuse.

"The World Youth Day in 2023 coincides with the publication of the report of the Independent Commission, about which the whole Portuguese society is debating. The church wants to cover it up once again. On World Youth Day, instead of warning the youth about the possibility of these things happening inside the Catholic Church, its education centers and in the beds of priests, they have not included it in the official program", says Antonio Grosso, one of co-founders of the "Silent Heart" organization.

Pope Francis will also visit the cathedral in Fatima, a rural Portuguese town that is one of the Catholic Church's most popular pilgrimage centers.

Antonio Grosso says he was sexually abused at one of the religious education centers for boys in Fatima in the 1960s. He says the victims were so "outraged and saddened" by the church's response that they set up a lobbying group called the Association of the Heart Silently, to help victims get reparations. The group will also provide psychological support and legal aid to victims.

Portugal is among the latest countries to grapple with the issue of decades of abuse by priests and its failure to report by Catholic Church leaders.

The Church in Portugal has apologized for the abuse. It is working with Portugal's main victim support association and implementing procedures and responding to reports of abuse in the church.

World Youth Day personnel are receiving specific training on identifying and preventing abuse.

Portugal lags behind the United States, Australia, France and Germany in addressing abuse in the church, but is on par with efforts being made in Spain, Poland and most countries in South America, Central America and Africa.