Spain’s Catholic Church says it will pay reparations to victims of sexual abuse

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – The Spanish bishops announced on Friday that they will pay reparations to victims of sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, even if the abuser has died.

Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) spokesperson Cesar Garcia Magan said at a press conference in Madrid that each case would have to be studied individually, but if the Church is convinced that abuse occurred, payments and other support will be offered.

He said the compensation plan is based on “victim care, prevention, and holistic repair in all aspects – psychological, social, spiritual, and economic.”

This announcement is a departure from the church’s previous position, in which they planned to deny compensation if the abuser is dead, according to El Pais daily.

Earlier on Friday, Magan explained that the reparations will be paid by the abuser, but in the case that he or she is dead, the institution where they worked, whether a school or a church, will have to pay.

The announcement came less than a week ahead of an unusual summons of Spanish bishops by Pope Francisco.

The summons came two days after Spanish Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, president of the bishops, accused Spanish journalists of misleading the number of sexual abuse victims.

In October, Spain’s ombudsman released the first major report on Catholic sexual abuse in Spain. In it, they used a poll to estimate that 1.13% of Spain’s adult population was abused by priests or lay members of the church like teachers when they were young.

Extrapolating from Spain’s current population that percentage would mean some 440,000 people currently alive in Spain were abused when they were young.

Spain’s church continues to dispute this figure, with bishops earlier this week, saying the number is “exorbitant” and that it is “impossible to trust,” surveys since they cannot be verified.

The ombudsman’s 770-page report called for the church to financially compensate victims through a fund for victims. However, Spain’s cardinal originally said that the CEE would participate only if the initiative benefits all victims of pedophilia — not just those abused in the church’s institutions.

Spain’s bishops have acknowledged sexual abuse in the church and apologized for it.

Spain’s Ombudsman Angel Gabilondo said that while some sectors of the church were open to the investigation, others were angry and uncooperative.

“We wrote to all the bishops… and some opened their archives. But not all of them. Some bishops scolded us, not only refusing to cooperate but also saying: ‘What are you doing messing around with this?’” said Gabilondo when presenting the report in October.

While the Spanish bishops have announced that they will compensate victims, they have not mentioned when the process will begin or how much the victims will receive.