Spain's World-First Abuse Compensation Plan

0:00It's March 30th. Welcome to Canada News today, powered by AI. Spain's Catholic bishops and the government just inked a deal to compensate victims of sexual abuse by clergy who are dead or whose cases are too old. For prosecution. This comes after months of back and forth, with the bishops handing final say to the country's ombudsman for a fair shake. Earlier this week, they signed the paperwork laying out the details and the whole system kicks off on April 15th with a one-year window for claims. It's a big move since the church usually handles these things in house across Europe, but here the state steps in deep. Victims have been pushing hard amid Spain's reckoning, with decades of priest abuse and cover-ups, sparked by reporting from L. Pies. The ombudsman dropped an 800-page report last year on 487 cases, estimating hundreds of thousands affected, though. Bishops count 728 abusers since 1945, most before 1990, and now gone. The process goes like this.

1:01Victims file with the Justice Ministry, it heads to the ombudsman for a proposal, then the church reviews. No deal? It escalates to a joint panel, and if needed, the ombudsman's call is final. No fixed payout amounts, just case-by-case based on severity, victim age, and repeat offenses. Justice Minister Feliz Bolognios calls it a world first, with the state overseeing while the church puts the bill for real reparations that match the pain.