The Catholic Church of Spain stated on Friday that it would compensate victims of sexual assault even if the matter had not been resolved because the offending priest had died, reversing its prior attitude. “We will also pay if the perpetrator is deceased or if there is a civil statute of limitations,” Francisco Garcia Magan, secretary general of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, said during a press conference.
“It will have to be examined case by case.” And if that moral decision is reached, there will be moral restitution,” Garcia Magan added after revealing that Spanish bishops had unanimously endorsed a “integral strategy” to pay victims.
Until now, the Church has refused to recompense victims when the abuser died, which was a common occurrence.
It is dealing with a problem in the aftermath of a watershed media investigation in 2021 that revealed rampant abuse by priests in Spain. It comes on the heels of numerous sexual abuse scandals involving the Catholic Church in nations such as the United States, Ireland, and France.
A study published last month as part of a report by Spain’s human rights ombudsman revealed that 0.6% of 8,000 respondents had been abused, rising to 1.1% when lay individuals such as Catholic school instructors were included.
The study also chastised the Church for failing to cooperate completely with the probe and for attempting to “minimize the phenomenon.”
