According to judicial records, judges have issued 33 rulings against priests over the last 30 years, for the abuse of 80 minors. The sentences have ranged from economic fines to up to 21 years in jail. Some of the sentences included compensation payments to the victims of between €1,200 and €70,000.
Spain has 23,000 parishes and 18,000 clergymen. The judicial sentences for pedophilia affect under 0.2% of the clergy. In half a dozen of the known rulings, the proven facts explain how the victims first reported the abuse to the Church, and, given the lack of a response, decided to turn to the courts.[...]
Neither the Episcopal Conference nor the immense majority of the 70 Spanish dioceses consulted by EL PAÍS have supplied information about the reports of pedophilia that have come to light or been prosecuted in recent decades. Five of the 18 dioceses that did respond to this newspaper claimed that they had no evidence of any cases: Burgos, Santiago, Teruel, Barbastro and Segovia. [...]
Every year, between 400 and 500 cases of child abuse are received, although the information supplied by the Congregation does not specify which countries they come from. EL PAÍS asked the Vatican for the number of cases that come from Spain, but did not receive a response. Despite the impenetrability of the Church, Pope Francisco appears determined to convey to the bishops the need to be implacable with regard to the known cases of sex crimes.
