The minority leftist coalition government of Spain has decided, at yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, to compensate victims of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Parliamentary Relations Felix Bolanos announced at a press conference that, in accordance with the plan prepared by his ministry and accepted by the Cabinet, the implementation from 2024 to 2027 will be overseen by the General Directorate for Religious Freedoms.
“The pain suffered by victims of sexual abuse, who have been forgotten for years, must be compensated,” said Bolanos.
He stated that compensation will be provided to the victims, necessary treatments to improve their psychological condition, and society will be informed to prevent possible new cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Bolanos announced that negotiations have begun with the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, the highest institution of the Catholic Church in Spain, for compensation payments.
In a report published in October 2023 by an independent commission investigating cases of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Spain, it was estimated that over 200.000 children had been subjected to sexual abuse since the 1940s.
On the other hand, the Spanish Catholic Church announced that since the 1940s, it had received complaints against 728 religious officials related to sexual abuse involving a total of 927 children, most of which were revealed between the 1960s and 1980s.
On the other hand, the Portuguese Catholic Church, which had a similar problem, announced on April 11th that it would compensate those who were sexually abused in its institutions.
The Church stated that victims could apply between June and December, and the compensation would be paid from a fund established by the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference.
An independent commission investigating allegations of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Portugal, published a report in February 2023 stating that at least 4.815 children were victims of sexual abuse since 1950.
Both the Spanish and Portuguese Catholic Churches have apologized for cases of sexual abuse.
Photo: illustration
