Hundreds of thousands suffered church abuse, Spanish inquiry says

The first major public inquiry into paedophilia in Spain’s Catholic Church estimates that the number of victims of sexual abuse linked to the institution runs to hundreds of thousands.

The findings were included in a report drawn up by the ombudsman and commissioned by the Spanish parliament, which was presented on Friday.

“This report is not supposed to be the final word or a solution to what has caused such enormous damage,” said the ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, after presenting the 770-page report to the parliament speaker, Francina Armengol.

“Instead it aims to contribute to raising awareness within Spanish society, reminding the Catholic Church and public institutions that there is still a need for victims to be heard,” he added.

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Among the document’s findings was a poll showing that 1.1 per cent of Spanish adults had suffered sexual abuse associated with the Catholic Church during their childhood – including, for example, in religious schools. That is the equivalent of about 440,000 victims.

Socialist acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez described the report as “a milestone for this country’s democracy”

The same poll showed that 0.6 per cent of those interviewed said they had been sexually abused by a priest or other member of the clergy – the equivalent of 280,000 victims.

A total of 11.7 per cent of Spain’s adult population have suffered some form of sexual abuse during their childhood, the study stated.

Mr Gabilondo said the figures, which were based on interviews with about 8,000 people, should be treated with caution.

Socialist acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez described the report as “a milestone for this country’s democracy”.

“For many years there have been lots of people who have suffered because they couldn’t denounce, explain or make visible their human dramas,” he said.

The ombudsman criticised the Catholic Church’s handling of child abuse cases.

“An attitude of cover-ups has predominated, with the lack of consideration of victims that represents,” Mr Gabilondo said. He cited the transferral of abusers to other dioceses, to schools, or even abroad as one strategy employed by church authorities.

“As time has passed and with the emergence of cases, pressure from victims and the media and greater awareness has ensured that these inappropriate responses have been less frequent,” he added.

The report includes an index specifying the locations of specific abuse cases it has documented. It also recommends the creation of a state fund to provide compensation for abuse victims.

Congress’s decision to commission the report was triggered in great part by an investigation by El País newspaper, which handed its findings in person to Pope Francis in 2021. The newspaper has so far documented cases involving 2,206 alleged victims and 1,036 members of the clergy.

The Catholic Church did not participate in the report. However, it did provide information in many cases, although some dioceses refused to co-operate. The church has commissioned a law firm to draw up a separate report on the issue which, already several months overdue, is expected to be finished in the coming weeks.

On Monday, senior bishops are due to meet to consider the findings of the ombudsman’s report.

Although victims of abuse have welcomed the commissioning of the ombudsman’s report, some were sceptical about its conclusions.

“It takes into account the abuse itself but it doesn’t investigate the cover-ups and that is the most serious thing, which has meant there are up to 200,000 or 400,000 victims,” said Miguel Hurtado, a victim of abuse.