Spain’s government and Catholic Church have signed a landmark agreement to compensate victims of sexual abuse by clergy in cases that can no longer be pursued through the courts, marking a significant step in the country’s reckoning with decades of abuse.
The deal, finalised in Madrid on Monday after an initial agreement in January, sets out how a new reparation system will operate when alleged abusers have died or when crimes are too old to prosecute. It will come into force on 15 April and includes a one-year window for victims to submit claims. ALSO READ: Spain seals landmark agreement with Catholic Church to compensate clergy abuse victim.
Justice Minister Félix Bolaños described the agreement as ‘a day of justice’ for ‘the thousands of victims who suffered sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and were not only left without support, but were doubted and forgotten’.
The system is considered unusual internationally due to the direct involvement of the state. While the Church will be responsible for paying compensation, the government will retain final authority over decisions, with Spain’s ombudsman playing a central role in evaluating claims.
Victims will initially submit petitions to the Justice Ministry, which will forward them to the ombudsman. After reviewing each case, the ombudsman will propose a compensation package, taking into account factors such as the severity of abuse, the victim’s age and whether the abuse was repeated.
‘Criteria are set to arrive at fair compensation, which should not be determined by a single figure,’ Bolaños said.
The Church’s own committee will then assess the proposal. If no agreement is reached with the victim, the case will be referred to a joint panel made up of representatives from the Church, the ombudsman’s office and victims’ associations. Should that body fail to reach consensus, the ombudsman’s decision will stand.
Compensation will be determined on a case-by-case basis, with no fixed scales or set amounts. Archbishop Luis Argüello, president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, said the agreement deliberately avoids specifying figures.
‘We wanted to exclude references to scales and quantities; that’s not what this is about,’ Argüello said. ‘We’ve planned for the teams to start working on how to do it, but the text doesn’t establish a range or a specific amount.’
The agreement represents a rare concession by Spain’s Catholic hierarchy following criticism from victims of earlier church-led compensation proposals. It also reflects years of growing public scrutiny over abuse within the Church.
In 2023, Spain’s ombudsman published an 800-page report investigating 487 known cases of abuse and estimating that the total number of victims could reach into the hundreds of thousands. The report was commissioned by parliament after sustained reporting on the issue, notably by newspaper El País. ALSO READ: Up to 440,000 victims of child abuse in Spanish church, Ombudsman reports.
Spain’s bishops have disputed those estimates, saying their own investigation identified 728 abusers within the Church since 1945. According to their findings, most cases occurred before 1990 and around 60% of alleged perpetrators are now deceased. ALSO READ: Spain’s Catholic Church discloses 101 abuse claims this year, under its new compensation system.
The new framework is designed specifically to address those historical cases that fall outside the reach of the criminal justice system.
Bolaños described the model as ‘pioneering worldwide’, noting that it ensures state oversight while obliging the Church to provide reparations. He reiterated on Monday that it is a system in which ‘the state has the final say and the church pays the reparations due to each victim’.
The agreement also comes ahead of a planned visit to Spain by Pope Leo XIV from 6-12 June, which will be the first papal visit to the country since 2011. ALSO READ: Pope Leo XIV to visit Madrid, Barcelona and Canary Islands this year, cardinal says.
As Spain continues to confront its past, the deal marks a significant attempt to provide recognition and redress to victims long left without legal recourse. ALSO READ: Catholic bishop in southern Spain denies abuse allegation as Vatican opens investigation.
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Hoy es un día de justicia para las víctimas de abusos sexuales en el seno de la Iglesia.
— Félix Bolaños (@felixbolanosg) March 30, 2026
A partir del 15 de abril entrará en funcionamiento el nuevo sistema de reconocimiento y reparación en el que la Iglesia pagará las indemnizaciones y el Estado tendrá la última palabra. pic.twitter.com/3EFjp7wdtO
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