Spain's Roman Catholic Church has reached an agreement with the government to compensate victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy. The accord follows complaints that religious leaders had failed to tackle the issue adequately.
The agreement will allow the government to manage potential compensation efforts in collaboration with the Church, focusing on cases where legal recourse is no longer available due to time limitations or the death of the accused.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Spaniards have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Church figures, prompting the government to take measures similar to redress schemes adopted in other countries.
A democracy should not allow the existence of victims who have never been compensated [and] whose situation, on the contrary, had been covered up, stated Justice Minister Félix Bolaños at the signing of the agreement.
Wording from the agreement indicates the intention to pay off a historical, moral debt owed to abuse victims within the Church.
The accord was signed by Bolaños, Luis Argüello, the president of the Episcopal Conference, and Jesús Díaz Sariego, the president of Confer, representing Catholic congregations and orders.
According to Sariego, this move is unprecedented as it addresses crimes outside statutory limitations. Arguello described it as a significant step in the long journey toward accountability.
A study this year by the Spanish ombudsman's office found that an estimated 1.1% of the population – equivalent to 440,000 people – have suffered sexual abuse linked to the clergy or those connected to the Church.
The Church has contested these findings and previously set up a reparation scheme that faced criticism from the Socialist-led government and victims’ organizations for lacking transparency and external oversight.
As of November, the Church reported that only 58 cases had been resolved under its previous framework due to allegations of a closed and slow response.
Under the new system, victims will now present their cases to a newly established agency by the justice ministry, which will work in partnership with the ombudsman's office to draft reparation proposals that the Church will have to approve.
Reparations can take the form of symbolic, psychological, or financial compensation, although specifics on payout amounts remain unclear. The ombudsman hinted at using compensation models from other European countries, with contrasting examples of payouts in Belgium and Ireland.
This new agreement has been well-received by victims' groups, emphasizing the need for systemic change within the Church regarding how these issues have historically been managed.
Sexual abuse scandals have affected the Catholic Church globally, gaining prominence since the 1980s, although Spain has experienced relatively fewer scandals until recent investigative efforts have brought the subject into the public eye.
Victims' organizations have called for more robust actions to address past abuses, criticizing the Church's previous approach as insufficiently proactive.
