More than Half of Over 700 Perpetrators Are Priests
"More Actual Victim Cases Will Emerge as Investigation Continues"
A survey revealed that over the past 80 years, more than 900 minors were sexually abused by church officials within the Catholic Church in Spain.
Major foreign media reported that on the 2nd (local time), the Spanish Catholic Bishops' Conference released its first report containing the results of an internal investigation into child sexual abuse cases that occurred within the church between 1945 and 2022.
Titled "Shining a Light" in Spanish, the report stated that the church has identified at least 927 perpetrators of child sexual abuse so far, 83% of whom are male.
Among the perpetrators, 728 were identified, 99% of whom were male; over 50% of these were priests, and the rest were other church officials. Most incidents occurred inside schools, seminaries, and diocesan buildings.
Most of the child sexual abuse testimonies collected by the church occurred in the 20th century, and since 75% happened before 1990, 63% of the perpetrators are already deceased. However, the church explained, "As testimonies continue to be collected, the numbers of perpetrators and victims may increase."
The Spanish daily El Pais also reported, "Since this report only covers investigations conducted after 2019, the actual number of victims is likely much higher."
In Spain, separate from the Catholic Church's internal investigation, an independent investigative committee led by the Ombudsman has been investigating child sexual abuse cases within the church since last year. This measure was taken in 2021 following a major controversy sparked by El Pais's report claiming that there are over 1,200 cases of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
The Ombudsman leading the investigation stated, "We have secured testimonies from 445 victims earlier this year, and the investigation is ongoing."
Cesar Garcia Magan, Secretary General of the Bishops' Conference, said, "Members of our church have caused harm to the church and other members of society," adding, "We feel shame and pain."
He continued, "It is useless if the church does not change," emphasizing, "We must learn lessons to ensure that sexual abuse never occurs again at the core of the church."
Meanwhile, investigations into child sexual abuse allegations within the Catholic Church have also taken place in countries such as Australia, Ireland, France, and Portugal.
Last month, a report emerged in Illinois, USA, revealing that hundreds of Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children over 70 years.
This investigation was initiated by former Attorney General Lisa Madigan following the publication of a report on Catholic sexual abuse in Pennsylvania in 2018. The sexual abuse situation within the Illinois Catholic Church detailed in the report is known to be far more severe than that in Pennsylvania.
The report detailed that from 1950 to 2019, 451 Catholic clergy and religious members in six dioceses in Illinois, including the Archdiocese of Chicago, sexually abused 1,997 children over approximately 70 years. This number is more than four times higher than the 103 perpetrators counted by the Catholic Church itself when the state government began its investigation in 2018.
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