Spain’s Catholic Church said Friday it has received 101 sexual abuse complaints so far this year under a new compensation system.
The Church implemented the mechanism earlier this year following criticism of its opaqueness regarding the sexual abuse of minors within its ranks, and agreed to investigate the issue in 2022.
Francisco García Magán, secretary general of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, said 58 cases have been “resolved” and 11 are close to resolution, with the rest still under review.
He did not specify whether victims received compensation, and if they did, he did not disclose the amount, citing the commission’s independence.
The Church is negotiating with the government over participation in a state fund to compensate victims, and discussions include allowing individuals to file complaints through the state ombudsman rather than the Church.
Fresh allegations against the institution have emerged in recent weeks, including claims that the bishop of Cadiz abused a minor in the 1990s in Getafe, near Madrid. Another Getafe priest was dismissed this summer over alleged abuse.
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Over 200,000 minors are estimated to have been sexually abused in Spain by the Roman Catholic clergy since 1940, according to an independent report published in 2023.
The Church’s own records list 1,057 “registered cases”.
Unlike in other nations, in Spain — a traditionally Catholic country that has become highly secular — clerical abuse allegations only recently started to gain traction, leading to accusations by survivors of stonewalling.
