SPAIN’S government and the country’s Roman Catholic bishops have agreed on a method to compensate victims of sexual abuse by clergy members who have died or whose possible crimes have been proscribed.
The agreement aims to resolve discrepancies between the government and church authorities over the question of reparations for abuse victims.
The Spanish Episcopal Conference, run by the bishops, said in a statement that the new agreement will allow victims who don’t want to seek help directly from the church to turn to the government and the state’s ombudsman, who has taken a lead role in shedding light on abuses.
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Justice Minister Felix Bolaños said in a news conference in Madrid that ‘hundreds’ of victims whose aggressors had passed away or were now very old could finally receive recognition of the abuse and receive economic reparations paid by the church.
“Today, we have paid a debt to the victims,” Bolaños said.
“It is true that the State has acted late, but we are acting now. Yesterday, the victims couldn’t do anything because these crimes had proscribed.”
On Thursday, Archbishop Luis Arguello, the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, acknowledged that some victims did not feel comfortable approaching the church offices.
Now, victims can turn to the government instead.
Arguello said the church had already paid out €2 million in compensation after taking up petitions by more than a hundred victims since its special committee opened in 2024.
Under the new agreement, victims can approach the Justice Ministry with their initial petition.
The ministry will pass it on to the state ombudsman, Angel Gabilondo, who will study it and propose a compensation package that the church’s committee will then assess.
If no agreement can be reached with the church and the victim, the case will go to a joint committee with representatives of the church, the ombudsman’s office and victims’ associations.
If that committee can’t agree, the ombudsman’s decision will stand, Bolaños said.
The window for filing claims will be open for one year.
After that, the agreement can be extended for an additional year if needed, according to Bolaños.
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