The Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) has convened an extraordinary plenary assembly next Monday, November 30, to study the report given by the Ombudsman this Friday to the Congress of Deputies. Convening a plenary assembly with such short notice is something unique in the church. The report of the Ombudsman, very serious in the institution, includes 487 interviews with victims of sexual abuse within the Church and makes Spain the country with the highest official projection of those affected: 1.13% of the population between 18 and 90 years of age suffered abuse as a minor in the religious field, according to a survey included in the report.
The assembly of bishops, as explained by the EEC in a statement, “will focus on the issue of sexual abuse committed by members of the Church” and, at the end of it, “journalists will be given proper information about them.”
At the meeting, the bishops will also study “the request from the Cremades & Calvo Sotelo Firm to extend the delivery time for the work it does for the Episcopal Conference” on the same matter. On October 11, the bishops asked Cremades to deliver within 10 days the pedophilia audit they ordered him to do more than a year and a half ago, but days later the law firm ignored the ultimatum and explained to finish its report. pedophilia at the end of the year.
In the press conference after the delivery of the report this Friday, Gabilondo brutalized the prelates. He criticized their lack of cooperation in the investigation of several cases: “Not all bishops cooperated; some bishops criticized us.”
The Spanish Conference of Religious (Confer), which represents religious institutions and societies of apostolic life established in Spain, for its part, indicated this Friday that it will consider and study the proposals collected by the Sexual Ombudsman abuse within the Catholic Church and will work with its institutes to “repair the damage caused” and prevent new cases.
The religious entities indicated that they will “work” on the aspects shown in this report in their educational centers to “continue to implement the prevention policies they already have.” From the conference, they apologized to all the victims: “We feel that we are well known, and we are sorry if at any time we did not act properly,” they said.
