Spain’s Catholic Church said on Friday that it has received 101 reports of sexual abuse so far this year under its newly established compensation framework.
The system, launched earlier this year after longstanding criticism over the Church’s lack of transparency on clerical abuse involving minors, follows a commitment made in 2022 to examine the issue in depth.
According to Francisco García Magán (main image), secretary general of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, 58 of the complaints have been ‘resolved’ and another 11 are nearing completion, while the remaining cases are still being assessed.
He did not clarify whether any financial compensation had been provided, nor did he comment on potential amounts, noting that such decisions fall under the authority of an independent commission. ‘We don’t want to engage in number battles on the issue of sexual abuse,’ he said. ‘Every case matters, because there’s a person behind it.’
The Church is also engaged in talks with the government about joining a state-funded scheme for victim compensation. Negotiations include the possibility of allowing victims to submit complaints via the national ombudsman instead of directly through Church channels. ALSO READ: Spanish government wants Catholic Church to compensate its victims of sex abuse.
New accusations have surfaced in recent weeks, among them claims that the bishop of Cádiz, Rafael Zornoza, sexually abused a minor in the 1990s in Getafe, just outside Madrid.
According to Spanish media, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday accepted the resignation of Zornoza, aged 76, the first known time the new pontiff has removed a bishop accused of abuse. ALSO READ: Catholic bishop in southern Spain denies abuse allegation as Vatican opens investigation.
The Vatican reportedly said Leo had accepted the resignation of the bishop, but didn’t say why. Zornoza had submitted his resignation to the pope last year when he turned 75, the normal retirement age for bishops.
An independent report released in 2023 estimated that more than 200,000 minors in Spain have been victims of abuse by Roman Catholic clergy since 1940. ALSO READ: Up to 440,000 victims of child abuse in Spanish church, Ombudsman reports.
By contrast, Church figures document 1,057 ‘registered cases’.
In Spain — a country with deep Catholic roots but now largely secular — public attention to clerical abuse has taken hold only in recent years, prompting survivors to criticise what they describe as years of obstruction.
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Sobre la investigación del Vaticano al obispo de Cádiz y Ceuta @MonsGarciaMagan “Hay que respetar el derecho a la presunción de inocencia de cualquier persona y el derecho de las víctimas de denunciar en los tribunales lo que consideren” #AsambleaPlenaria pic.twitter.com/KBVCSg5PTr
— Of. Información CEE (@prensaCEE) November 21, 2025
🟢#RdP de la #AsambleaPlenaria de @Confepiscopal con @MonsGarciaMagan https://t.co/As3ZFEAHld
— Of. Información CEE (@prensaCEE) November 21, 2025
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