Vatican receives investigation of 251 cases of alleged pedophilia in Spanish Church

An investigation by the Spanish newspaper El País on 251 cases of alleged pederasty In the catholic church Spanish Over the course of 75 years it was transmitted to the Vatican, which launched internal inquiries, according to an article in Sunday’s newspaper.

“The Church has opened a major investigation, unprecedented in Spain, of 251 members of the clergy and some lay people from religious institutions accused of abusing minors and that EL PAÍS has compiled and investigated in the last three years”the newspaper wrote.

“They compose a 385-page report that this newspaper delivered to Pope Francis on December 2, taking advantage of the Pontiff’s direct contact with journalists on his trip to Greece.”added.

These accusations and testimonies refer to events that occurred between 1943 and 2018, detailed in the report, says the newspaper, which published the first data on these cases under anonymity on its website.

The Church’s investigations into sexual abuse are carried out by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Vatican, which could not confirm the opening of investigations to AFP on Sunday.

In a statement released this Sunday, the Spanish Episcopal Conference said that “reiterates your interest and willingness to carry out an investigation of all cases of abuse ” Y “Encourages all victims to file complaints.”

Since 2001, the Vatican It has already received 220 complaints of sexual violence in the Spanish Church, a spokesman for the Spanish Episcopal Conference told AFP.

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