From April 15, those who have suffered sexual abuse in the past by members of the Catholic Church or in any other religious sphere will be able to opt for reparation overseen by the Ombudsman. Despite the system's imperfections, which do not include some of the victims' demands, yesterday's signing of the protocol should be read as a new success for this victims' movement that, for some years now, has managed to have the damage recognized and responsibilities accepted. The protocol establishes how people who until now could not go to justice because their case had expired or because the abuser had already died will be able to opt for reparation. And, most importantly, the arbiter will not be the same ecclesiastical institution within which the abuses were committed, and which has systematically denied or minimized them until very recently, but rather it will be the state, through the figure of the Ombudsman, that will act as arbiter and will ultimately decide what the restoration should consist of, which will largely be economic.

Satisfaction at Moncloa with the opinion of the EU Advocate General on the amnestyJust minutes after the ruling upholding much of the law was released, the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, celebrated it in the halls of Congress as a "resounding victory," since the report, he pointed out, "clearly states" that the law "is in accordance with European law." Conversely, the People's Party (PP) believes the opinion of the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) "warns of a violation of the rule of law," according to the conservative Deputy Secretary for Institutional Relations, Cuca Gamarra. From Junts, former president Carles Puigdemont, who is still awaiting the application of the amnesty, asserted that the ruling "exposes" the strategy to "block the application of the law," and the Secretary General, Jordi Turull, called on the Constitutional Court to enforce its implementation. Likewise, in ERC, the party's president, Oriol Junqueras, also awaiting the full implementation of the law, celebrated the decision while awaiting the final ruling from the CJEU. Referring to Puigdemont, but without mentioning him by name, Bolaños stated that today's move "is another step in applying the amnesty to all the leaders of the Process," and argued that it should be applied "particularly to its most prominent leaders." The minister asserted that the lawyer's conclusions "reiterate" the defense of constitutionality and conformity with European law maintained by the executive branch, and emphasized that the CJEU "completely refutes" the "falsehood" of the self-amnesty. The Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López, expressed a similar sentiment, stating that the amnesty law "will be implemented as normal." In this regard, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, demanded that it be applied "swiftly and without subterfuge," and expressed his satisfaction with the resolution, which he described as a "significant step." He also called for "prudence" until the court issues its ruling. The Popular Party (PP) does not share this view, focusing on the part of the opinion that indicates the law is contrary to European legislation by restricting to two months the maximum period for the Court of Auditors to analyze an amnesty request from a defendant. While the report states that the law does not affect the EU's financial interests, defends the objective of social and political reconciliation, and denies that it constitutes a "self-amnesty," it does criticize this specific aspect. Therefore, the PP argues that the amnesty law "violates the rule of law in Spain and Europe." "These conclusions are extremely serious," noted Cuca Gamarra, who said she would await the final ruling from the CJEU. A decision that Vox has dismissed: "What European bodies say doesn't matter to us at all. We know what the coup-plotting criminals did," declared the leader of the far-right party in the Catalan Parliament, Ignacio Garriga.

There will be no meeting between Pedro Sánchez and Carles Puigdemont to mend relations between Junts and the PSOE. The pro-independence party had already indicated this week that it would not resolve the situation, and this Friday the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, echoed this sentiment, stating in an interview on TVE that this hypothetical meeting between the Spanish president and the Junts leader "is not relevant." When asked directly if it would help to halt negotiations, he was categorical: "I don't think so." If this meeting hasn't taken place, it's probably because neither side has been interested. Junts has opted for a break, believing that the negotiations with the PSOE have yielded no results and, therefore, a Sánchez-Puigdemont meeting would have represented a kind of alliance against the move to the opposition that Junts has decided upon. And Moncloa Palace rules out the possibility of the Prime Minister traveling abroad to meet with the former Catalan president, who would be arrested if he were to set foot in Spain. Sánchez has repeatedly stated that he made a commitment to meet with Puigdemont almost two years ago, when he signed the amnesty agreement, but conditioned it on the law being applied to him.

The Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional law, published a report this Monday criticizing Spain for its election model for the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). Currently, it considers that Spain is exposed to external politicization—due to the influence of the Spanish Parliament—and internal politicization—due to the role of judicial associations—which jeopardizes judicial independence.

The Supreme Court has thrown to the ground the claim of the controversial judge Juan Carlos Peinado to investigate the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, in the Begoña Gómez case. The High Court on Tuesday rejected Peinado's request to charge Bolaños, which he referred to the Supreme Court, due to the fact that Bolaños has immunity from prosecution. The judge charged him with alleged crimes of embezzlement of public funds in the hiring of Gómez's assistant at the Moncloa Palace, Cristina Álvarez, and of being a perjury witness for the statement he made to her in which he denied any wrongdoing. The Supreme Court has not found any evidence of a crime in Bolaños' actions and emphasizes that in the letter Peinado sent it, there is an "absolute absence of any evidence that is minimally substantiated or even remotely plausible."

Almost more important than the fight against corruption within the PSOE is the fight for feminism. The Cerdán case has severely damaged the party, but what has generated the most internal turmoil are the audio recordings of José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García evidencing their use of prostitution and the departure of former high-ranking official in the Moncloa Palace, Paco Salazar, for alleged sexual harassment of female workers. Former PSOE number two, Adriana Lastra, gave a very forceful speech behind closed doors during Saturday's federal committee, denouncing the "complicity" within the party with this type of behavior, and this Monday, the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, admitted that the PSOE must "reflect" so that women feel more empowered. However, he asked not to "prejudge" the investigations already underway into Salazar.

The courts have begun a three-day strike of judges and prosecutors called by all professional associations except the progressive ones, with the strike being followed by 75% of judges and prosecutors this Tuesday. Beyond the estimate made by the organizers, who have described the protest as a "resounding success," there is no official data because the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) is not collecting it, as it does not recognize the call. The Ministry of Justice has also not received the monitoring data it had requested from the CGPJ and the State Attorney General's Office, and points out that the figures provided by the associations are not official. Furthermore, it notes that during the day "there has been almost complete normality in the courts and prosecutors' offices" throughout Spain.

The attempt by controversial judge Juan Carlos Peinado to tighten the grip on Pedro Sánchez has claimed a new victim: the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños. In a ruling signed this Monday, the investigating judge in the Begoña Gómez case submits a reasoned statement to the Supreme Court to investigate Bolaños for alleged crimes of embezzlement of public funds and perjury. This stems from the appointment of Cristina Álvarez, an advisor to the Moncloa Palace who worked as an assistant to Pedro Sánchez's wife. He attributes responsibility for her appointment to her during his time as Secretary General of the Presidency of the Spanish government. Bolaños appeared before the media this afternoon to express his "complete calm" at the judge's decision, but also his "concern for the image of justice" that this ruling leaves behind.

The pressure on Sánchez to end his term continues. The president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Luis Argüello, has joined the right and has been calling for early elections for days so that they can "speak to the citizens" in the face of the alleged corruption cases affecting the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party). This position was echoed this morning by the religious institution's secretary general, Francisco César García Magán, who asserted that elections would be "a way out of the institutional deadlock." The Archbishopric of Tarragona and the Bishopric of Lleida distance themselves from this statement, and the Spanish government has already responded to the message, accusing the Church of "departing from political neutrality" in a letter signed by the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, and addressed to the president of the Episcopal Conference.

Most judges' and prosecutors' associations, none of the progressive ones, have called for a protest this Wednesday against the Spanish government's plans to modify access to the judiciary and the Organic Statute of the Public Prosecutor's Office. The five associations signing the call call for a 10-minute strike, starting at 12 noon, outside all judicial buildings in the country. The manifesto read by the organizers outside the court buildings warned the Spanish government: "We do not rule out a strike." Meanwhile, coinciding with the strike, Isabel Perelló, president of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), warned that "judges cannot be degraded."

At the beginning of the eighties, Lluís Foix, then director of The Vanguard, offered me a job as a correspondent in Rome. I didn't give it much thought. It was an unmissable opportunity to broaden my horizons. From the very first day, I was as interested in following the Vatican as, if not more, than in Italian politics and its constant government crises. The Christian Democrats remained attached to power, but with complex and unstable pacts with minority forces, such as Bettino Craxi's Socialist Party. At the Holy See, the pontificate of Pope John Paul II was still in its initial stages, closely followed by the Spanish press, at a particularly interesting time due to the imminent political change that would take Felipe González's PSOE to the Moncloa, with an absolute majority of 202 deputies. Among the correspondents in Rome was Juan Arias (The Country) and Joaquín Navarro-Valls (Abc), later a spokesperson for the Holy See. My gratitude to both of them is eternal, for the kindness with which they welcomed me. In the editorial office of The Vanguard The always extended helping hand was that of Father Jordi Piquer, who exercised his auctoritas in the matter with a sweetness of character that made obedience a pleasure.

It was on June 25th of last year when the PP and PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) announced the pact in Brussels to renew the General Council of the Judiciary, more than five and a half years after its mandate expired. The underlying reason why the two major Spanish parties found the dazzling figure unknown was unknown until this Wednesday: on the 21st of that same month, four days earlier, the Group of European States against Corruption (GRECO), which reports to the Council of Europe, had adopted a harsh report on the situation of the Spanish judiciary. "The situation is urgent. The stagnation of the CGPJ has resulted in a substantial delay in the appointment of senior officials in the judiciary throughout the country. This is, without a doubt, a worrying situation that requires swift and effective action," stated the text, now available.

Juan Carlos Peinado has returned to Moncloa Palace seven and a half months later. This time, the second time, it was to take a statement from Félix Bolaños as a witness in the investigation against Begoña Gómez. The judge of Madrid's 41st Court of Instruction had already visited the palace at the end of July to question Pedro Sánchez. who invoked his right not to testify due to his personal connection to the person under investigation, who is his wife. The Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Parliamentary Relations could not hide behind this in the face-to-face meeting he held with Peinado this Wednesday morning, responding for over two hours. In his statement, Bolaños distanced himself from the hiring of Cristina Álvarez, Gómez's advisor also under investigation, whom the investigating judge in the case has targeted as a possible embezzlement.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado has made a new move in the case against Begoña Gómez and has opened a separate investigation into the hiring of the advisor to the wife of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez. The judge wants to determine whether "the commission of a crime of embezzlement" can be inferred from the hiring of Cristina Álvarez, who is one of those under investigation, along with Gómez, in the case for alleged crimes of influence peddling and corruption in the businesses she is instructing. Within the framework of this separate investigation, Peinado summoned the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, to testify on April 16 at 10:30 a.m. At the end of July, the Spanish president already came face to face with Juan Carlos Peinado, who has been at war with the Spanish executive for months.

Three current issues of the day. Mazón is already a political corpse, booed in the streets and at events, which he has now, as a desperate measure of self-defense, shown the capture of a security camera from the emergency centre which determines that, in fact, he arrived at around eight thirty in the evening on the day of the DANA, as a way of avoiding responsibility for not having sent the alert earlier by mobile phone because he was not there. It doesn't matter, since the day before yesterday the judge clearly determined that the majority of the 227 dead did not receive any official alert that would probably have saved them, all those who had anything to do with this decision are well trapped, and the head of the trapped is Mazón.

Friday July 15 at the Spanish presidential palace in Madrid. This is the date and place chosen for the meeting between Catalan president Pere Aragonès and Spanish president Pedro Sánchez, in what should be the meeting which definitively restores relations between the two governments. These have been deeply affected by a series of events, most recently the Catalangate spying scandal. The date was decided this Friday in a face-to-face meeting held at the Palau de la Generalitat by Catalan and Spanish Presidency ministers, Laura Vilagrà and Félix Bolaños.

Spanish High Court judge José Luis Calama has agreed to lift reporting restrictions on the case of alleged phone hacking using Pegasus spyware against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and Minister of Defence Margarita Robles. In addition, the magistrate summoned Minister of the Presidency Félix Bolaños as a witness on July 5 at 9 am. The judge wants to take a statement from Bolaños as the head of the Security Department of La Moncloa. Calama opened this investigation following a complaint from the State Attorney's Office.

The Spanish government has been left alone over the Pegasus case. This Tuesday opposition parties joined forces to demand Spanish president Pedro Sánchez's appearance in Parliament. They consider the explanations given so far are insufficient and demand the leader of the executive face parliamentary scrutiny over spying on pro-independence leaders, but also on Sánchez himself and the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles. Pro-independence groups, together with the PP, Ciudadanos and Vox, have voted in favour of this appearance at the meeting of Board of Party Spokespersons. Only the Socialists and Unidas Podemos opposed it, since they consider that before the Spanish president appears in the Spanish parliament "previous steps" should be taken first.

The first meeting between the Catalan and Spanish Governments to address Catalangate, a week after the outbreak of the scandal, lasted just over two hours and ended without the results sought by the Generalitat. The Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, met his Catalan counterpart, Laura Vilagrà, and afterwards spoke of a "cordial, sincere and correct" meeting with the idea of "looking for solutions" to the espionage scandal. But Vilagrà disagreed: "The meeting has not gone well. The explanations given are totally insufficient, vague, inconcrete and with uncertain results", she said. Bolaños, who guaranteed the "unequivocal will" of the Spanish government in "working to clarify the facts", has announced an internal investigation of the Intelligence Services would be launched "at the organisation's request" in order to analyse its actions. He also guaranteed the "full disposition" of Spanish intelligence services to "facilitate and collaborate" in an investigation that will also be initiated by the Spanish Ombudsman.