A priest from Reus has been removed from prison for sexual abuse in the 1990s.

BarcelonaThe Archdiocese of Tarragona has removed a priest, FX Morell, for having sexually abused a minor in the early 1990s in Reus. The case reached Archbishop Joan Planellas in September 2022, and following an internal investigation, the file was sent to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican body that handles sexual abuse complaints. The file sent to Rome concluded that the case was statute-barred. However, the head of the Tarragona Church asked the Holy See to lift the statute of limitations in order to take action against the priest.

Thus, in February 2024, an extrajudicial criminal proceeding was initiated that concluded with the secularization of the priest, who was removed from the priestly ministry and fined to compensate for the damages caused. Church sources have assured ARA that the victim has repeatedly stated that she is not making the complaint now, thirty years after the abuse, for financial reasons.

The defrocked priest, now in his 70s, had previously faced complaints, but they had not prospered through civil proceedings. Morell was charged with child abuse and pornography in 2016, when he was serving in Constantí. The case was referred to the ordinary courts, and in 2020 the judge concluded that the commission of any crime was not "duly justified." Although he resumed his activity within the Tarragona church, the archbishopric imposed administrative measures: he could not have contact with minors alone and could not hear their confessions. Therefore, he could no longer be the pastor of a parish.

On this occasion, despite the case being criminally outdated, the archdiocese has also forwarded the complaint to the Prosecutor's Office. Planellas apologized to the victim "in the name of the Church" for the abuse she suffered, and she was offered support and guidance during the canonical criminal proceedings. This Friday morning, at around 11 a.m., the archdiocese informed its community of the decision, and a meeting is scheduled for Monday to discuss the issue.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Tarragona reiterates its commitment "to justice, transparency, and a zero-tolerance policy" in cases of pedophilia. "Likewise, it reaffirms its condemnation of all sexual abuse, abuse of power, and abuse of conscience, especially when committed within the Church against a minor," the Church of Tarragona adds in a statement in which it "invites people to report" all situations to both the civil authorities and the office that holds the same title.

A recent case in Reus

Since being appointed Archbishop of Tarragona in 2019, Planellas has been one of the strongest voices in the Catalan and Spanish Churches in the fight against pedophilia. In 2021, as the ARA advancedA young man filed a complaint against the canon archivist of Tarragona Cathedral and director of the Tarragona archdiocesan historical archive, M. Fuentes, who was then vicar of the parish of San Juan Bautista in Reus. Following an investigation by the Church itself, the priest was found guilty and suspended from pastoral duties for fifteen years.