Spanish Catholic Church's plan to compensate sexual abuse victims faces censure

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish bishops introduced a plan to address sexual abuse within the Catholic Church on Tuesday, amid criticism from the government and victims’ groups.

The plan focuses on paying out victims whose cases cannot be judged at civil, criminal or canonical inquiries because the statute of limitations has passed or because the abuser has died.

Within the plan, Spain’s Catholic Church aims to create a religious commission that will determine compensation on a case-by-case basis. The amount to be set aside for payments was not specified.

“What about the victims who they say have non-credible cases; who they accuse of being liars? What will happen with them?” asked activist Miguel Hurtago, who wrote a book about being abused when he was 16 by a priest, on Spanish broadcaster RTVE.

Spain’s first official report, compiled by the country’s ombudsman in 2023, estimates that around 1.13% of Spain’s population – around 440,000 adults — were abused by figures related to the Catholic Church in their youth.

The Episcopal Conference of Spain, the group led by bishops, pushed back. On X, its president at the time, Juan José Omella said those numbers, extrapolated from a survey, were “lies,” while admitting that some abuse had taken place over the years.

On Tuesday, Luis Argüello, the new president of the Episcopal Conference, emphasized that the bishops’ plan to compensate victims is “a free decision that responds to a moral, not judicial obligation.”

On three occasions, he called on the Spanish government to avoid getting involved in the church’s business.

Indeed, the relationship between Spain’s government and the Catholic Church has been increasingly tense.

In April, the government proposed a reparations system that would include the state, church and victims, based on the ombudsman’s recommendations. The bishops rejected the plan.

In late June, Spain’s justice minister sent the bishops a formal letter saying the government would not accept a “unilateral” church plan for compensation, which is what they approved on Tuesday, instead calling for a mixed body that included state-backed supervision.

One of the key complaints is that the bishops will leave it up to individual dioceses or congregations to decide whether they want to compensate victims.

“We do not support a compensation system that is not binding and that wasn’t conceived with the participation of the victims,” said government spokesperson Pilar Alegria on Tuesday.

Victims groups have also been critical that this plan was conceived by the church alone. Although several groups were invited to Tuesday’s bishops' meeting, according to RTVE, none attended.

“Wanting to act unilaterally, without consulting victims, shows a lack of transparency, dialogue, commitment and responsibility,” Manuel Barbero, head of the Mans Petites victims’ association, told RTVE.