Spain’s ombudsman set to lead probe into Catholic Church abuses
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly accepted the creation of an impartial fee led by the nation’s ombudsman to research suspected sexual abuse of minors by Catholic monks.
The fee can be a major step for Spain, the place abuse allegations are solely now gaining traction years after comparable scandals rocked the US, Eire and France.
Whereas the vote doesn’t routinely assure the fee’s formation, because it nonetheless requires formal backing from the federal government, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the inquiry in a Twitter put up.
“The Parliament approves the creation of a fee to research abuses within the sphere of the Church. A primary step to attempt to restore the ache of the victims, who had not been heard till now,” he tweeted.
Felix Bolanos, the minister in control of authorities relations with the Church, and Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, head of the Spanish Church, met on Thursday to debate the difficulty.
“The federal government considers it constructive for the Church, for society as a complete and, above all, for the victims, that these information be clarified and that the Church cooperate with the investigation,” a ministry assertion stated.
Monsignor Omella, for his half, has expressed the Church’s willingness to cooperate, it added.
Spanish prosecutors stated in February they had been investigating 68 circumstances of alleged abuse, however El Pais newspaper stated it had discovered 1,200 circumstances reported between 1943 and 2018.
Final month, Spain’s Catholic Church sought to provide extra credence to its personal inside investigation, saying {that a} regulation agency would coordinate and audit the trouble.
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; Enhancing by Nathan Allen and Mark Heinrich)
