His name is EGG and he is a priest in Madrid. With command over the square during the time of the all-powerful Cardinal Rouco Varela. He became spiritual director of the Conciliar Seminary, professor at the San Damaso Ecclesiastical University and, in his free time, he performed exorcisms, preferably on adult women, some of whom, according to the accounts of them, touched their breasts and their vagina. because “I told them that was where the demons were lodged.”
“This man carried out exorcisms by undressing his victims in front of the Blessed Sacrament,” explains to elDiario.es one of the people who were able to access the statements of the people concerned, who did not file a criminal complaint. “The victims are perplexed, angry, because they feel that in a certain way the priest is still protected,” say those who participated in a process which, after years of silence and concealment, was reactivated by the diocese of Madrid through the Repara program for victims of sexual abuse.
The diocese communicated to the victims and the aggressors “the application of the final resolution of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith”, after “the relevant investigation and trial”, which does not imply any conviction for the religious. Madrid tried to get the Vatican to condemn the cleric for practices of “pseudo-mysticism”, the same for which Franciscan Javier Garrido, also accused of sexual abuse, was convicted a few months ago. The proposal was unsuccessful due to the absence of criminal prosecutions and the difficulty of demonstrating vulnerability in the case of adults, church sources explain.
Victims are very angry because we only talk about reckless or inappropriate behavior.
However, the Vatican authorized Cardinal José Cobo to issue a “penal precept” in which he established “a series of pastoral measures” to “limit” the activity of the priest. Among them, “the absolute prohibition of performing exorcisms and any type of prayer for healing, liberation or laying on of hands and of carrying out processes of spiritual direction to any person” is established.
However, EGG will continue to be a priest, even if Cardinal Cobo removed “the faculty of confession for a period of 10 years and the faculty of preaching.” The diocese indicates that new measures could be taken in the future, but specifies that this will depend on the victims’ decision to file a complaint.
“Reckless behavior”
“The victims are very angry that they only talk about reckless, inappropriate behavior, and at no time are they recognized as victims of abuse,” say sources close to the case. Indeed, although the diocese’s note speaks of its commitment to “the protection of all people, particularly victims and the most vulnerable”, at no time does it mention sexual abuse, which would theoretically prevent be compensated, if applicable. The diocese is committed to supporting them in a process of “restorative justice” which, they explain, could lead to financial compensation.
At the same time, the Diocese of Madrid is finalizing preparations for an act of recognition and forgiveness for victims of sexual abuse in the Church, which will take place on October 21 in the esplanade of La Almudena Cathedral, and which will include moments of prayer and reflection, “with the desire to move towards a culture of encounter and good treatment, inside and outside the Church”, as the diocese explains.
The Church of Madrid “recognizes the “special duty” to welcome “the cry of the victims who find themselves in a Church which, one day, did not know how to protect them, but which has the very serious responsibility of contributing to their healing. They are part of our flock, even if they don’t want to know anything,’” emphasize church leaders.
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