The Ombudsman asks for justice and reparation for the victims of clerical pederasty, but without “revenge”
The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, revealed on Monday the names of the people who will participate in the advisory commission that will investigate clerical pederasty. The advisory body is “open, plural and independent”, and will be made up of 17 experts from outside the institution, in addition to three other members belonging to it. Among the external members are specialists in administrative, criminal, constitutional and canon law; psychologists, social educators and scholars of sexual abuse. The other three official members are Gabilondo himself, and the organization’s first and second deputies, Teresa Jiménez Becerril Barrio and Patricia Bércena García, respectively.
Although the Catholic Church will not participate as such in the advisory commission, there are personalities linked to ecclesiastical entities. This is the case of Letizia de la Hoz, a lawyer for the Apostolic Nunciature; Miguel García-Baró López, Professor of Philosophy at the Comillas Pontifical University, or Ana Laura Zugaza Aizpuru, theologian and former member of the Bilbao diocesan council.
Gabilondo, who appeared in Congress at his own request before the Mixed Commission for Relations with the Ombudsman, questioned the sincerity of the collaborating will of the Catholic hierarchy, whose refusal to participate will make the work less “fertile.” Both the president of the Episcopal Conference, Juan José Omella, and the secretary and spokesperson of the Episcopal Conference, Luis Javier Argüello, have let him know that the Church will not be a member of the advisory body, although it will collaborate with the requirements of the Ombudsman “within the law”, a tagline, according to Gabilondo, unnecessary. “It seems to indicate the circumstances of the limits of the collaboration.”
It is still pending to hear the answer offered by the president of the Spanish Confederation of Religious (Confer), Jesús Díaz Sariego. “It remains to be seen and defined how this collaboration takes shape,” said Gabilondo.
“No country can remain paralyzed or move forward without reflecting on how its minors have been treated, nor can any institution, public or private, look the other way if it has been made aware of such serious situations,” alleged Ángel Gabilondo, who maintained that it will be extremely careful not to “revictimize the” victims.
The Ombudsman also announced that there will be a “technical unit” that will be entrusted with the mission of collecting testimonies. Gabilondo asserted that the purpose of the organization is to listen to and repair the victims, objectives that do not include “revenge” or “revenge.” To collect complaints, a free telephone number, an email, postal mail and a web form will be made available to the public, so that the complainant can resort to the channel of their choice.
At the end of the process, a report will be prepared, which will be sent to Parliament and the Government, which will include reparation measures for the victims and proposals for modification so that these crimes are not repeated. “The abuses occur in various contexts, but the Church is a significant one due to the meaning and character of the institution,” argued the Ombudsman, who described his task as “delicate.” Some victims’ associations refuse to participate because they believe that Defensor lacks sufficient powers.
MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY COMMISSION:
-
Xavier Arzoz Santisteban.
Professor of Administrative Law at the UNED and holder of the Jean Monnet Integration through EU Fundamental Rights chair. He has been a Lawyer of the Constitutional Court. -
Olga Belmonte Garcia.
Professor of Philosophy at the Complutense University of Madrid. She is the author of Victims and Unharmed. Essay on ethical resistance. -
Letizia de la Hoz.
Lawyer of the Bar of Gijón and rotating lawyer by the Apostolic Nunciature. Member of the Justice Initiative – European Response to child abuse cases. -
Miguel Garcia-Baro Lopez.
Full member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences and Professor of Philosophy at Comillas Pontifical University. Coordinator of the Repara Project of the Archdiocese of Madrid. -
Juan Carlos Gonzalez Martin.
Bachelor of Law and Philosophy. A member of Eshma, an organization that accompanies survivors of sexual abuse, he has advised religious institutions on the implementation of safe environments, protocols and institutional prevention policies. -
Araceli Medrano Samaniego.
Psychotherapist specialized in victims of sexual abuse and victims of gender violence. She holds a doctorate in Psychology from the University of the Basque Country and is a Professor on the Master’s in Family Intervention and Mediation at the University of Deusto. -
Lourdes Menacho Vega.
President of the General Council of Official Colleges of Educators and Social Educators. Title of University Expert in Socio-educational Action with Children, Adolescents and Youth in Residential Foster Care by the University of Malaga. -
Paula Merelo Romojaro.
Author of the book Vulnered Adults in the Church. She has a degree in Biological Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid and is a secondary school teacher. -
Maria Elena Olmos Ortega.
Professor of State Ecclesiastical Law and General Secretary of the University of Valencia. She holds a doctorate in Law from the University of Valencia and a degree in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of Salamanca. She former President of the Spanish Association of Canonists. -
Noemi Pereda.
Professor of Victimology at the University of Barcelona and Director of the Research Group on Child and Adolescent Victimization (GReVIA) of said University. She is an expert advisor to the WHO European Regional Office in the study of violence against children in Spain. -
Maria Jesus Raymond.
Prosecutor of the Technical Secretariat of the State Attorney General’s Office. She has also been a Lawyer in the Technical Cabinet of the Supreme Court. -
Julian Carlos Rios.
Professor of Criminal Law at the Comillas Pontifical University. Criminologist. Criminal lawyer and mediator in restorative justice processes in crimes of terrorism and sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. -
Alejandro Saiz Arnaiz.
Professor of Constitutional Law at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona). He was an ad hoc judge of the European Court of Human Rights and a member of the Board of Directors of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). -
Josep Maria Tamarit.
Doctor of Law from the University of Barcelona and Professor of Criminal Law at the Open University of Catalonia and at the University of Lleida. He is the main investigator of projects related to sexual abuse in religious institutions. Coordinator and co-author of Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church: analysis of the problem and the legal and institutional response. -
Gem Varona.
Professor of Victimology and Criminal Policy at the University of the Basque Country and co-director of the Postgraduate course “Working with Victims of Traumatic Experiences” at this University. She holds a doctorate in Law, a diploma in Criminology and a Master’s in Legal Sociology. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Society of Victimology. -
Maria Vilches Fernandez.
Prosecutor and Lawyer for Equality and Gender Violence of the General Council of the Judiciary. She has a degree in Law and Political Science and Administration from the Autonomous University of Madrid, she has also been an advisor to the Ministry of Justice. -
Ana Laura Zugaza Aizpuru.
Graduated in Teaching and Graduated in Psychology and Theology. She is a teacher at the IES Bertendona in Bilbao, she has dedicated her life to education. She has been a member of the Diocesan Council of Bilbao. She is a member of the Association of Spanish Theologians.
#Gabilondo #doubts #bishops #investigation #sexual #abuse