Angel GabilondoMediator, called for collaboration and coordination between Church and State to provide a concrete response to victims of abuse, and place reparation before any “ideological or belief difference”.
This is what he said during the plenary session of the Congress of Deputies, where he presented the “Report on sexual abuse in the area of the Catholic Church and the role of public authorities”. “The victims are waiting for a concrete response to their situation and for it not to be delayed,” he assured.
“It is essential that, for the good of the victims, the Church and the State make common commitments. “reparation for victims regardless of ideological or belief differences”Gabilondo said.
Report confirms total of 674 victims of abuse
The report presented by Gabilondo collects testimonies on sexual abuse and “responds” to what the victims “demand”, which it’s “being listened to, cared for and reciprocated”, » said Gabilondo. Through these testimonies collected by the Victim Care Unit, it confirmed a total of 674 victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Of these, 563 were men and 110 were women.
The vast majority of victims was between 30 and 75 years old at the time of the interview, the largest group was aged 50 to 65.
Victims, in this sense, speak of “cognitive damage, spiritual damage, difficulties in emotional and sexual life and in the relationship with one’s own childrenand the impact it had on the rest of the family who, by extension, sometimes suffered from it all their lives,” Gabilondo explained.
“Even professional expectations have been negatively conditioned in many cases”, said the Ombudsman, who also referred to a survey commissioned from GAD3 to “frame the dimensions of the problem and establish the incidence of sexual abuse in any area of Spanish society, in addition to religion.”
This survey, carried out among 8,013 people, reveals that 11.7% of those interviewed claim to have suffered sexual abuse before the age of 18. Among them, 3.36 were victims. in the family environment, with a 0.6 indicating that it was sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest or religious. 1.13% say the attack occurred in religious matters.
Gabilondo’s 24 recommendations
Gabilondo detailed some of the 24 recommendations contained in the report, which are addressed to “the Legislative, the Executive, all public authorities, the Church and Spanish society itself.” For example, among them there is the holding of a public act of recognition and symbolic reparation to the victims in the face of the prolonged period of inattention and inactivity of the Church and public authorities, especially between 1970 and 2020.
Other proposals are that the Church adopt “public commitments” and that a special administrative body be established to establish a procedure for recognition and redress, as well as various regulatory reforms for clarification and redress.
For Gabilondo, the silence is broken “even if for the victims it is late”, and this was possible thanks to their efforts, the media and people from different regions who supported the victims in their demands.
