Child Sexual Abuse within the Catholic Church in Spain: A Descriptive Analysis of its Characteristics and Long-Term Impact

ABSTRACT

Sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is a serious social issue and a significant public health problem that has caused extensive harm worldwide. In 2022, an independent commission was established in Spain to investigate sexual abuse within the Church. The commission gathered data from 334 victims (82.3% men, 17.7% women), who were predominantly aged between 55 and 74 years old (62.5%). A majority of victims (71.0%) endured sexual abuse involving physical contact, while 21% reported instances of oral, anal, or vaginal penetration. Over half of the victims (57.5%) reported emotional and behavioral issues, as well as functional problems, problems in relationships, sexuality, and cognition, and attributed these difficulties to the abuse. The majority of participants (79.0%) had disclosed the abuse before the study, with the Church taking action in 45.8% of cases. Approximately 8.4% of victims reported the perpetrator was relocated, while 16.2% described institutional efforts to conceal the abuse. In conclusion, victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Spain faced consequences that had a significant impact on their lives, exacerbated by lack of societal recognition and a prevalent dynamic of cover-up and concealment by the Church.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• Catholic Church
• institutional abuse
• adult victims
• Spain

Acknowledgments

We want to express our gratitude to the Ombudsman of Spain for their trust in us, as well as to the other members of the advisory commission and the victim support unit for their dedicated work. A special heartfelt thanks is reserved for all the victims who so generously shared their testimonies and played a crucial role in the creation of this report. Their contributions have not only made the study possible but also shed an important light on an issue that has remained hidden and silent in Spain for far too long.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical standards and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee of the Ombudsman of Spain and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000, and 2013. Informed consent was obtained from all participants for being included in the study.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Noemí Pereda

Noemí Pereda, Ph.D is a tenured associate professor of Victimology at the University of Barcelona and heads the Research Group on Child and Adolescent Victimization (GReVIA).

Josep M. Tamarit

Josep M. Tamarit, Ph.D is a full professor of Criminal Law at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the University of Lleida.

Marina Bartolomé-Valenzuela

Marina Bartolomé, Ph.D., is a criminologist and a member of the Research Group on Child and Adolescent Victimization (GReVIA) at the University of Barcelona.