The Episcopal Conference recognizes 506 victims of sexual abuse in the church

The Episcopal Conference recognizes 506 victims of sexual abuse in the church


Luis Argüello, general secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. / ef

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The Episcopal Conference recognizes 506 victims of sexual abuse committed by "members of the church", both in religious congregations and in dioceses. The offices to receive complaints from victims of sexual abuse within Catholicism that the church itself opened two years ago by order of the Pope "has allowed us to learn about the drama of 506 people, to whom we want to offer recognition and reparation », Monsignor Luis Argüello, general secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, maintained this Friday.

These cases are distributed among the 202 offices "for abuses committed in the past, since those of the present are immediately referred to the civil authorities," Argüello said. Of these instances of receiving complaints, 60 are diocesan and 142 belong to 121 congregations. In two years, on average, each has received fewer than three complaints, according to these data.

Some cases, says Argüello, have prescribed, both civil and canonical, but are investigated due to their seriousness; others "are already known and have had their way"; the fifth part (103) was committed by "people already deceased but they have opened up to know their circumstances", and "300 are due to matters that have occurred more than 30 years ago". The perpetrators of sexual abuse are "clerics, priests, priests, diocesans, presbyters, ordained religious, non-ordained brothers and lay people who have some assignment or work in the church," he continued. "There will be training processes that prevent this situation from occurring in the present and future, and remove those people who show that they are unworthy."



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