The Church pays the first compensation to victims of sexual abuse

BarcelonaThis June, the Archdiocese of Barcelona began paying the first compensation payments to victims of sexual abuse in the Church. Last year, following the cases reported over the past few years and the reports on abuse in the Church made by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) and the Ombudsman, the comprehensive reparation plan for minor victims of sexual abuse, known as PRIVA, was implemented. Since its creation, the CEE's Comprehensive Reparation Advisory Commission has reviewed each case of individuals who reported having suffered abuse within the Catholic Church in Spain and are seeking compensation.

Each case is analyzed separately, and a report is issued and sent to the corresponding diocese. In the case of Barcelona, ​​Archbishop Joan Josep Omella has accepted all compensation proposals received from the commission, and payments began this week. The opinions each bishopric receives are not binding, as they are not a resolution, and each bishop has the final say in accepting the compensation proposal. "In Barcelona, ​​what the commission says will be respected point by point," explain sources from the Barcelona archdiocese. The opinion is also signed by the victim herself, who accepts the Church's proposed resolution.

Do not exploit pain

One of the first payments corresponds to one of the victims of the House of Santiago. In this case, the compensation is 65,000 euros. For the survivor, it is a step forward, because, 40 years later, the Church asks for forgiveness. However, she also acknowledges that she is "removed" and feels a touch of disappointment because many attackers, like hers, remain members of the Church and have not been "expelled."

A ARA research It allowed the sexual abuse of minors committed during the 1980s at this ecclesiastical institution to be reported, a case that was covered up by bishops and cardinals. It allowed the abusers to go unpunished.

Through dozens of witnesses, access to documents the archbishopric had in its secret archive, and letters from the abusers themselves and the affected families, the ARA reconstructed the report. It went to the Reparations Commission, and this week it received compensation.

Proactively, the Archbishopric of Barcelona itself also requested contact with the victims located by the ARA in order to offer them help. The Church of Barcelona used this information to justify its failure to provide figures for the number of compensated victims or the amounts paid.

This system of reparation, conceived as a subsidiary, will serve in cases where judicial recourse is not viable, where the statute of limitations has already expired, whether civil or canonical, or where the aggressor is dead. When these circumstances arise, and there is no legal recourse, the Church agreed to pay compensation.

The Diocese of Lleida has confirmed to ARA that it has no complaints of child abuse by a member of its community. They have only had one case, when the father of a victim filed a complaint. The Diocese forwarded the documentation to the Prosecutor's Office, but ultimately the case was unsuccessful because the victim did not appear in court. The Archbishopric of Tarragona has also not paid any compensation to date.