It was an exciting afternoon. Full of hugs, tears, hopes and demands. This Monday, Caixa Fórum hosted the presentation of the “Child Protection” prizes, awarded by the Guido Fluri Foundation and the ANIR, AVA and Lulacris associations. During a week when all the bishops are in Madrid, meeting in Plenary Assembly, the last award was given to Pope Francis, who sent a video message encouraging the victims to “continue to fight to avoid all injustice.” The award was received on his behalf by the president of the Spanish religious, Jesús Díaz Sariego, and not by a bishop, as representatives of the Episcopal Conference arrived later.
“They say that a prize is recognition. I rather like to think of it as a challenge for someone to do what the price says and move forward. Thank you for what you do. And I accompany them. Thank you for continuing to fight to avoid any injustice, any use of people. Keep going, it’s worth fighting for because you can see the fruits. God bless you. Pray for me and I will do it for you,” Francis emphasized in his speech.
Also recognized during the ceremony were, among others, the Mediator, Ángel Gabilondo; the Chilean Juan Carlos Cruz, victim of abuse and only lay member of the Vatican’s Anti-Pedophilia Commission. In addition, the journalists of elDiario.es, Iker Rioja – director of the newspaper’s delegation in Euskadi – and Jesús Bastante, responsible for religious information, received the award. La Rioja
On behalf of the Government, the Minister of Children and Youth, Sira Rego, intervened by thanking the victims and survivors, “whose gaze pushes us to continue working”. “Violence against children must be removed from the private sphere and placed at the center of public debate, as is the problem we are experiencing. »
Sira Rego: “Your stories are our failure. As a representative of our institutions, I ask you for forgiveness. The institutions owe you an apology”
“We want boys and girls to be heard without fear and without reliving their traumas,” said the minister, who invited them to work for “friendly justice”, which has the courage to put childhood at the center and to consider it as a subject of justice. rights. Rego particularly wanted to thank those who told their story, those who were not believed, those who did not find their space to express themselves. “Your stories are our failure. As a representative of our institutions, I ask your forgiveness. The institutions owe you an apology.
For his part, the Mediator, also awarded (and who will present his anti-pedophilia report this Thursday before the plenary session of Congress), thanked the organizers of the event for having organized it, and in particular the Cuatrecasas family. “Don’t stop fighting, I have a lot to thank you for.” “Thank you to all the victims without exception. A society shows its true face in listening to children and the most vulnerable.
Ángel Gabilondo: “A society shows its true face in listening to children and the most vulnerable”
“This goes for the victims, it goes for them,” said Gabilondo, who stressed that “it is important to talk about the victims, to talk to them, but even more so to create the conditions for them to express themselves freely”. They need concrete actions,” he assured. “Let’s listen to what the victims say,” he concluded, letting the testimonies of the survivors which appear in the Mediator’s report speak in his speech.
Juan Carlos Cruz, abuse victim and complainant in the Karadima affair, and the only lay person present at the Vatican Anti-Abuse Commission, received his award by inviting people to “raise their voices” to break with invisibility. Also those of the families, “who suffer horribly because of the situation of their relatives and friends”. “In Chile, we have succeeded in ensuring that crimes against minors are not statute-barred,” he recalled.
Juan Carlos Cruz: “We will not stop being present until the last victim receives the justice they deserve, without having to beg for justice”
“We will not stop being present until the last victim receives the justice they deserve, without having to beg for justice,” said Cruz, who issued a warning “to the bishops of the world, and in particular to the Spanish bishops, so that they no, we will disappear,” he shouted. “It might not be one of us, but others will come. And we will not stop being present until the last victim receives the justice they deserve, without having to beg for justice.
The Cuatrecasas family opened fire. Juan, father of the victim in the Gaztelueta case, denounced the “negligence and irresponsibility” that cemented the “impunity, silenced reality and cover-up” that the victims suffered for decades. Next to him, his son Juan, one of the survivors and an example of the courage of the victims. “We have miles of track, even if the train hasn’t started to start yet,” Cuatrecasas shouted. “We are neither heroes nor heroines. This complaint is a right,” he concluded.
The Cardinal of Madrid, José Cobo, and the Archbishop of Pamplona, Florencio Roselló, arrived at the event when the award was presented to Francisco. “Institutional changes are slower than it seems, but if Pope Francis deserves anything, it is for initiating processes,” Cobo said. The cardinal thanked Bergoglio for putting himself “at the forefront, so that in the Church we can also learn something. “First, you have to believe the victims,” he said. “The Pope has made us aware of your pain so that we can build a better Church and a better world thanks to you,” he assured.
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