Unlike in other countries where child sex scandals have forced the Catholic Church towards accountability, the Spanish church has avoided investigating alleged abuses by its clergy to the fury of victims. In France alone, a study commissioned by the French Catholic Church found last month its clergy had abused some 216,000 minors since 1950. But in Spain, there are no official statistics on child sex abuse. The Church says it has counted just 220 cases since 2001, and has ruled out "actively" investigating any such allegations. Although the Church follows abuse prevention protocols in line with those laid out by the Vatican, victims' groups want the Spanish government to step in with legislation to prevent Church cover-ups.

Source: The Star November 09, 2021 06:54 UTC