A CATHOLIC Church foundation is facing criminal investigation for allegedly conducting gay conversion therapy on children across 60 state-funded schools.
Prosecutors are examining potential hate crimes and criminal conspiracy charges against the San Vicente Mártir Diocesan Schools Foundation, following claims it attempted to ‘cure homosexuality’ in students.
The judicial probe comes as Valencia’s Archbishop was forced to shut down the church’s Family Guidance Centre and accept its director’s resignation amid the growing scandal.
Regional political party Compromís, which filed the original complaint in October, claims the foundation is part of an ‘extensive network of homophobic pseudo-therapies’ operating throughout the Valencia region.
The schools involved are partially funded by public money through government agreements.
“The physical integrity and emotional and mental health of these children are at stake,” said Francesc Roig, LGBTI spokesperson for Compromis.
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“This has names and surnames pointing directly to the Archbishop and the Foundation.”
Compromís plans to introduce legislation next week making conversion therapy a criminal offense under Spain’s Penal Code.
Regional authorities, including Valencia’s maligned President Carlos Mazon and Education Minister Jose Antonio Rovira, face mounting pressure to respond to the scandal, with critics accusing them of ‘looking the other way.’
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The group has launched a confidential support website for victims while regional authorities face mounting pressure over their perceived inaction.
The scandal marks one of Spain’s largest investigations into institutional conversion therapy, particularly significant for targeting minors in the education system.
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