The Church in Spain opens a new path of reparation for victims of abuse in time-barred cases

The Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) and the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER) have signed an agreement with the Government of Spain that makes it possible to open a new path, through the Office of the Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo), for the reparation of victims of sexual abuse who do not wish to approach directly the PRIVA Commission established by the Church.

The agreement was signed on January 8, 2026, by the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Parliament, Félix Bolaños; the President of the CEE, Archbishop Luis Argüello; and the President of CONFER, Jesús Díaz Sariego, OP. With this step, from now on victims may turn either to the PRIVA Advisory Commission or to the Victims’ Unit of the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Office of the Ombudsman will study the cases presented and propose a form of reparation, which will be reviewed by the PRIVA Commission. In the event of disagreement, the matter will be assessed by a joint commission and, if no agreement is reached, it will be resolved by the Ombudsman after hearing the President of the CEE or CONFER.

Key points of the agreement

In a press release, CONFER highlighted several key elements of this agreement:

It is not a new legal avenue for cases that are already outside the judicial framework; rather, based on the moral commitment of the Church, another path is opened for victims who do not wish to approach PRIVA
The Public Administration undertakes to address the comprehensive reparation of all minors who are victims of sexual abuse in any area of public life, thus fulfilling the purposes set out in Organic Law 8/2021 of June 4 (LOPIVI).
The work of the PRIVA Advisory Commission is recognized as a point of reference for comprehensive reparation. Therefore, the reparation criteria of the Office of the Ombudsman will be the same as those already established by PRIVA.
The Church has requested an exemption from tax burdens for compensation payments, and the Public Administration has committed to this request, including retroactively.
This agreement will be valid for one year and may be extended for one additional year if the parties so agree. In this way, the system will rely on the technical criteria of the Office of the Ombudsman, the assessment of the PRIVA Commission, and the participation of the victims in the manner provided by that Office.

At the press conference following the signing, Archbishop Argüello noted that, in serious cases, Canon Law allows the statute of limitations for crimes to be lifted, something that does not occur in civil law. The Church commits itself to the pain of the victims because the aim is that “truth and justice may shine forth” when the judicial avenue is already closed. Jesús Díaz Sariego, for his part, stated that “the Church is the only institution today that assumes reparation for crimes that are already time-barred.”

A sustained path of accompaniment and reparation

Within the framework of this process, the Church in Spain has created 70 diocesan offices and 172 offices of religious congregations to attend to victims. These offices offer accompaniment, listening, and support, as well as a broad effort in prevention and formation, with more than 300,000 training actions aimed at children, young people, educators, families, seminarians, consecrated men and women, fathers, and mothers.

In September 2024, the Advisory Commission of the Comprehensive Reparation Plan for minors and persons with equivalent rights who are victims of sexual abuse (PRIVA) was established, focusing on victims whose cases could not be addressed in legal settings because they were time-barred or because the perpetrator had died.

During this time, 114 applications have been received, of which 61 have been resolved, and €1,858,420 has been paid in compensation, in addition to amounts previously contributed by some religious congregations.

All this work has received recognition from the Holy See, which has positively valued the steps taken by the Church in Spain in this area.

In communion with the Church in Spain

As a Congregation that is part of CONFER in Spain, the Sisters Adorers share this ecclesial commitment to listening, accompaniment, and the reparation of victims for the harm suffered, as well as to the creation of safe environments and the prevention of any form of abuse.

This agreement forms part of a path that requires responsibility, transparency, and perseverance, so that the dignity of every person is always at the center of all actions undertaken.