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Hundreds of thousands of people in Spain may have suffered sexual abuse in a religious setting, according to the Ombudsman’s October 2023 report.

 

A survey of over 8,000 adults found that 1.13% of the population, or roughly 440,000 people, reported such experiences. Now, after months of tense talks, the Spanish government and the Catholic Church's Episcopal Conference have struck a deal to offer reparations to victims whose cases cannot reach court due to time limits or the death of the perpetrator.

 

The agreement, announced last week, sets up a temporary system lasting one year and extendable for another. Financial compensation will come from the Church, while the public administration takes the lead role, with the final say in disputes. Compensation payments will be exempt from income tax, and Minister Félix Bolaños confirmed this applies retroactively to sums already paid out.

 

Here is how it works. Victims start by contacting a processing unit in the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Courts. The case then moves to the Ombudsman's Victims' Unit, which drafts a proposal for reparations. These could be symbolic, restorative, spiritual or economic, depending on what the victim requests. The proposal goes next to the Church's PRIVA advisory committee for review. If everyone agrees, it is settled.

 

Where there is disagreement, a joint commission steps in, including victims' associations, to try for consensus. "If the disagreement persists, it will be up to the Ombudsman's Victims Unit to adopt the final resolution," the government explained. The Church must carry out any agreed measures promptly, or the Episcopal Conference and Spanish Conference of Religious will step in to ensure compliance.

 

The Episcopal Conference called it a moral commitment rather than a legal one. "It is a temporary measure lasting one year, extendable for one year, for those cases that have not had and cannot have a judicial process," they noted. An agreement with the Ombudsman is needed to launch it, and victims' representatives will meet the government at the end of this week.

 

Previous Church efforts like the PRIVA plan (Plan de Reparación Integral a las Víctimas de Abusos: The Church's 2024 voluntary plan for abuse victims' reparations, symbolic/financial support for non-prosecutable cases) fell short, paving the way for this state-involved approach.

 

President Pedro Sánchez has pushed hard for the Church to take responsibility, especially around Christmas. For many long-silent victims, this could mark a step towards recognition and closure.

 

 

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