The bishops will apply the recommendations of the Ombudsman on abuse but ask not to put the "focus" only on the Church

They point out that the Ombudsman's report presents a "general vision" of the problem of sexual abuse in childhood, as "a social problem."

MADRID, 30 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish bishops have valued as "valuable" the recommendations proposed by the Ombudsman in his report on sexual abuse within the Church; They say that they will design an itinerary to apply them, but they criticize that the "extrapolation" of the survey data - which indicates that 0.6% of the Spanish adult population has suffered abuse in childhood by priests or religious -- "they do not correspond to the truth" and ask not to put the "focus" only on the Church.

This was made clear this Monday by the bishops during an extraordinary Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), chaired by Cardinal Juan José Omella, archbishop of Barcelona, ​​and in which a total of 88 bishops were present, 31 bishops in person and 57 by videoconference. The president of CONFER, Jesús Díaz Sariego, the general secretary Jesús Miguel Zamora and the deputy general secretary, Silvia Rozas, also attended.

"The abuses committed in the Church hurt. The extrapolation made from the data obtained in a survey attached to the report is also surprising. They do not correspond to the truth nor do they represent the group of priests and religious who work loyally and with dedication of their lives to the Church. service of the Kingdom", can be read in a statement released by the Spanish Episcopal Conference, at the end of the meeting.

The CEE explains that the bishops "have made a first approach" to the investigation into sexual abuse of minors in the Church carried out by the commission headed by the Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, whom they invited to attend the assembly this Monday but who declined the invitation for personal reasons.

In particular, they have valued "the testimony collected from the victims, which allows the victims to be placed at the center" and have considered "the recommendations proposed in this report also valuable" although they assure that, "to a large extent, they are convergent with other proposals that have been worked on in the EEC for some time now".

In this sense, the bishops have decided to entrust the Child Protection Service of the EEC with "the itinerary of the application of the recommendations of the Ombudsman, in relation to the channels of reparation, prevention and training" which will already be implemented in the next Plenary Assembly in November.

In any case, the prelates are committed to also addressing abuse in other areas and not only in the Church because, as they say, "failing to take into account the magnitude of the problem and its largely extra-ecclesial dimension means not facing the causes of the problem and perpetuate it over time."

Likewise, they consider that "focusing exclusively on reparation for the victims of the Church would discriminate against the majority of victims, turning them into second-class victims."

Furthermore, they join the request of the Ombudsman who urges the State to implement the recommendations that the report makes to its different institutions, "to assume its responsibility in the joint task of putting an end to this scourge that affects the entire society." society".

On the other hand, the bishops have "listened" to the request and motivation of the Cremades office

The bishops present at the meeting have expressed their "pain for the damage caused by some members of the Church with sexual abuse" and have reiterated their "request for forgiveness from the victims", while expressing "the desire to work together in the comprehensive reparation of the victims and deepen the paths for their protection, their support and the prevention of abuses.

In any case, they insist that the Ombudsman's study presents a "general vision" of the problem of abuse that "goes beyond the Church" and is "a social problem to which all public and private institutions have a duty." to give an answer".

Likewise, they emphasize that "a single case of abuse is intolerable" and highlight that the Catholic Church in Spain has been working "for years to put an end to this scourge" and they commit "to continue working along the same lines, incorporating into their efforts these recommendations daily. "The Church wants to contribute to eradicating sexual abuse in childhood not only in the Church but throughout society and puts her sad experience at the service of society to do so, in a spirit of collaboration."

In relation to other information, Bishop Joan Enric Vives has informed the members of the Plenary of the invitation extended by the Vatican Dicastery for Clergy to the members of the Plenary Assembly for a meeting of all members of the Episcopal Conference in Rome, next November 28. In this meeting the conclusions of the work carried out by the bishops who visited the Seminaries of Spain at the beginning of this year will be addressed.