The Government, the Catholic Church, and the Ombudsman have signed this Monday a protocol to launch the reparation of victims of sexual abuse in the ecclesial sphere, in which no compensation scales are established and April 15 is set as the date for victims to be able to start submitting their applications.
In a press conference, the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) and archbishop of Valladolid, Luis Argüello, has indicated that they have expressly excluded from the agreement the reference "scales". "It is not about establishing amounts or ranges but a proposal for integral reparation," he explained.
For his part, the Minister of Presidential Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, has specified that these scales have not been included "because each case will be studied in detail" by the experts of the Ombudsman and the Church's PRIVA Plan.
In any case, he has clarified that the agreement does establish criteria such as the seriousness of the damage or recurrence. "Just compensation should not be determined by a figure, neither minimum nor maximum," he has remarked.
Furthermore, he has pointed out that "the Ombudsman will have the last word" and that the Church will have to pay the amount that is decided.
In this regard, he has also indicated that the victims who went to PRIVA will be able to go to the Ombudsman for him to review their case and decide if the compensation they received "should be improved, complemented, surpassed."
PRIVA:
The PRIVA is the Comprehensive Reparation Program for Victims of Sexual Abuse in the ecclesial sphere promoted by the Catholic Church itself in Spain. It was approved on July 9, 2024, by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE).
Its objective is to attend to and repair people who have suffered sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy and includes measures such as:
- Psychological care and accompaniment for victims.
- Financial compensation when applicable.
- Evaluation of cases to determine the severity of the harm and the reparation needs.