The audit carried out by the Cremades law firm
The Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) has published this Thursday the latest edition of the report “To give Light” to which they have incorporated the data from the report that the bishops commissioned from the law firm in February 2022 and which was delivered to the prelates last day 16.
According to the CEE, the Cremades report includes a total of 1,383 complaints “with the number of perpetrators being undetermined.” However, it warns that the analysis of the cases leads to affirming that the total number of complaints in accordance with the indicated methodology amounts to 1,302, that is, 81 less.
Furthermore, it points out that the fact of adding the 305 complaints received from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to those already communicated by the dioceses and congregations, “suggests that these complaints are very possibly duplicated,” since since 2001 the complaints received in dioceses and congregations they are communicated to said Dicastery.
The CEE has avoided presenting the Cremades audit and has chosen to integrate its results into a broader work, such as the report To give Light, which collects data from the Offices for the protection of minors and prevention of abuse of the dioceses, the religious congregations, and also from the investigation of the Ombudsman or the media.
The bishops thus lower the importance of this work that was entrusted to the prestigious law firm in February 2022 and which, initially, should have been completed within a year, although it was finally delayed by 10 months, causing the anger of the prelates.
In fact, the CEE criticizes that the Cremades report “commits errors of concept” such as considering as different complaints those made in the dioceses and those of the Dicastery that have their origin in the previous ones.
“The Audit Report basically makes a compilation of cases that appeared in previous studies, without carrying out an in-depth study of them,” he laments.
Thus, it presents the complaints in a disaggregated manner, grouped into religious congregations (619), dioceses (322) and other institutions such as Opus Deis (10) and the Legionaries of Christ (10). These total 961 complaints, not including those that have been communicated exclusively from the Ombudsman (118) to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (305) and those received through the complaints channel (55).
In this way, the Cremades report adds up to a total of 1,383 complaints “with an undetermined number of victims, and the number of victimizers is also undetermined.”
However, the EEC warns that an analysis of all the groups analyzed leads to affirming that the total number of complaints in accordance with the indicated methodology amounts to 1,302. And a minimum of 2,056 victims “although it is objectively evident that the number is higher.”
Among the conclusions, it stands out that the profile of the victims is mostly male, the most repeated place of the events are the minor and major schools and seminaries and the profile of the abuser is mostly a priest, religious, or professor who is academically responsible for the minor in the 99% of cases.
There are also cases of caretakers, those responsible for administration, extracurricular activities, and catechists.
The type of crime committed is mostly “abuse” or “touching”, although those responsible for the report point out that the seriousness of the events prevents the victims from recounting what happened.
They also refer to fellatio, rape, introduction of a penis or objects into the genital organs or mouth, touching the genitals, touching the ass, breasts, body, libidinous touching, non-consensual kisses, libidinous hugs, licking the neck and face, non-consensual physical contact. , non-consensual nudity, as well as the obligation to do things like fellatio, penetration, nudity.
The dates of the commission of the events range from 1905 to the present.
Regarding the consequences, the report points out that “neither the Church nor any institution can argue today that it is unaware of the magnitude of the tragedy.”
“The advances in the psychology of trauma have generated the need for a forceful response without any excuse because they make visible and honor the damage caused to the victims,” ??he highlights.
And to compensate the victims, it asks that the damage caused be recognized, that forgiveness be publicly apologized not only for the damage but also for the silence allowed, that the necessary preventive measures be taken and also proposes financial compensation for the victims.
To this end, it recommends the creation of an Independent Commission “which should not exclude the demand for criminal responsibility of the victimizer, where reparation is agreed upon with the victim.”
Likewise, Cremades affirms that the CEE must assume the responsibility of creating a Monitoring and Evaluation Commission of the recommendations included in this report and within each diocese a coordinating team for the process must be established.
Each victim assistance office in the dioceses must also have a coordination figure in direct contact with the responsible bishop, a legal advisory service and a figure to accompany victims with training in psychology.
