By Joshua McElwee and Emma Pinedo
MADRID, June 8 (Reuters) – Pope Leo told Spain’s Catholic bishops on Monday they must listen to survivors of abuse by clergy and offer them reparations, in the first direct reference during his trip to scandals that have shaken the local Church’s credibility.
Leo told the clerics that survivors of abuse should see a “determined commitment” from the Church to strengthen safeguarding measures and create a safe culture for children and vulnerable people.
“One of the most painful encounters is with those who have been wounded precisely by those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy,” said the first U.S. pope.
A 2023 report by Spain’s human rights ombudsman estimated hundreds of thousands of victims of clerical abuse there over decades, echoing scandals globally that have shaken the Church’s moral authority and cost hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
Leo is making a week-long tour of Spain, his first to a European Union country outside Italy. The Vatican has said the pope will meet with a group of victims during the visit, but has yet to offer further details.
Some prominent Spanish abuse survivor groups have said they were not invited to attend any papal meeting, and have characterised it as an insufficient photo opportunity.
Juan Cuatrecasas, president of the group “Stolen Childhood”, said the survivors meeting with the pope do not represent all Church victims.
“They are being used by the church, by the bishops’ conference, to clean up the image of the Spanish Church”, he told reporters.
SURVIVORS SAY CHURCH MUST DO MORE
While Leo’s predecessor, Francis, took steps during his 12-year papacy to address clerical abuse scandals, survivors’ groups have called for stricter accountability measures and a global zero-tolerance policy for clergy accused of misconduct.
“Stolen Childhood” and other Spanish groups have demanded concrete measures including lifelong psychological care and fair compensation for victims, and support for education and employment.
Last week, Madrid Cardinal Jose Cobo said it was simply not feasible for the pope to meet multiple groups of survivors during his trip to Spain, due to the pontiff’s packed itinerary.
“It doesn’t mean that these realities are not of interest to the pope, it is simply that his time is limited,” said Cobo.
Spanish activist Miguel Hurtado, who has said he was abused as a teenager at Montserrat Abbey outside Barcelona, was critical that the pope’s schedule did not include a meeting with survivors of abuse at that abbey.
Leo will visit Montserrat, which was included in the 2023 ombudsman report, on Wednesday and have lunch with the Benedictine monks there.
“At the very least … remember the victims,” Hurtado told reporters. “Commit publicly to cleaning the Church of abusers and those who cover them up.”
The ombudsman’s report identified 15 victims and three alleged perpetrators linked to the abbey.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee and Emma Pinedo; additional reporting by Joan Faus, Aislinn Laing, Elena Rodriguez and Silvio Castellanos; Editing by David Latona and Alex Richardson)
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