Spain’s Catholic Church announced on Tuesday its approval of a plan to compensate victims of child sexual abuse by clergy, with hopes of making it operational within months.
In response to mounting pressure from Spain’s increasingly secular society and its left-wing government, the Church approved guidelines for addressing sexual abuse against minors. This plan, endorsed by the CEE Episcopal Conference, represents Spain’s leading bishops.
The guidelines include forming a committee to evaluate each case and determine the compensation, which could be operational by September, according to CEE head Archbishop Luis Arguello. “This is an important day,” he said, highlighting the Church’s move towards comprehensive reparations, while noting most cases date back to before the 1990s.
Jesus Diaz Sariego, head of Spain’s conference of religious orders, assured that if any diocese or congregation is unable or unwilling to compensate victims, higher Church authorities will intervene.
Despite the CEE’s March announcement of a comprehensive compensation plan, details on its implementation and figures were not provided. Victim groups have criticized the Church for its lack of transparency and failure to offer reparations thus far.
An official report in October estimated that over 400,000 people had suffered sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy and lay people since 1940. The report suggested creating a compensation fund, but the Church declined participation if it solely compensated victims of pastoral abuse.
The CEE questioned the reliability of these figures, pointing to an audit it commissioned that found 2,056 minors were abused by clergy.
In April, the Spanish government adopted a plan based on the October report’s recommendations, including a state compensation fund for victims, which Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez supports.
