The Victims' Unit of the Ombudsman has placed in the final processing phase 149 of the 450 files opened for sexual abuse committed within the Catholic Church. In these cases, the agency is finalizing the recognition of victim status and the corresponding compensation proposal.
This is the first report since the entry into force, on April 15, of the protocol agreed upon between the State and the Church to assist those who cannot go to court because the events have expired or because the alleged aggressor has passed away.
The nearly 300 remaining files continue in various phases of analysis, while four requests have been rejected as they were deemed not to fit within the scope of action established by the protocol.
A mechanism for cases without judicial recourse
The procedure was designed to offer a route for recognition and compensation to victims whose cases can no longer be prosecuted criminally. It also allows those who do not wish to use the offices set up by the Church itself through the Comprehensive Compensation Plan for Victims of Abuse (PRIVA) to access this system.
Until the end of last year, that ecclesiastical program had compensated 39 victims, with amounts that in some cases reached 100,000 euros.
Since April, the requests have been sent by the Processing Unit of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes to the Ombudsman's team, responsible for studying each file and listening to the parties involved.
More than a hundred personalized interviews
Until July 31, the Victims' Unit had held individual interviews with more than a hundred people. The procedure establishes a maximum period of three months to issue a favorable assessment or deny the request.
This period can be extended by one month when there is an extraordinary volume of files or when the complexity of the case requires more time for analysis.
The team is made up of independent professionals specialized in victimology, psychology, criminology, and various legal disciplines, with the aim of providing individualized treatment to each victim.
Economic, symbolic, and restorative compensation
The protocol includes different forms of reparation. These can be symbolic or restorative, through institutional recognition, an apology, or professional support, but also economic.
Compensations can address both the damage caused and the expenses derived from the treatment of physical or psychological sequelae. The agreement does not set minimum or maximum amounts, with the purpose of individually assessing the severity and circumstances of each case.
The Catholic Church will assume the payment of the compensations that are determined within this procedure.
The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, has argued that the system aims to prevent victims from being reduced to an administrative file. "With this process, the aim is to recover the person and repair damages. It is not a mere objectifying bureaucratic procedure, but a flexible, personalized, professional, and human procedure," he emphasized.