Madrid (EFE) is being dealt with exclusively at the level of the Church and not in its global dimension.
This was stated by the president of the EEC in the inaugural speech of the Plenary Assembly of bishops, which is meeting this week in Madrid, and in which he stressed that the Church “confesses its sin”, but denounces at the same time that This fact, “which affects many other sectors of society, should not be brought to light, in order to seek among all of us a solution that encompasses the full extent of this social problem.”
“The Church wants to lead the fight against this scourge that affects one in five children in Europe”, stressed Omella, who went on to point out: “Without shying away from any of our own responsibilities, we regret that for the moment this is not addressed painful question in its global dimension and that insists on analyzing this drama exclusively in the sphere of the Church”.
The also Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona has reiterated his “humble and sincere request for forgiveness from the victims” and has assured that the Church in Spain is committed to the protection of minors and the prevention of sexual abuse committed, both within the framework of his activity, as in the whole society.
And by way of example, he recalled the launch of the website http://www.paradarluz.com which collects information on the work carried out by the Church for the protection of minors and the prevention of abuse.
“We have asked for forgiveness for that great sin and we will continue to ask for it. But it is not enough to ask for forgiveness, we want this scourge to disappear from our society. For this reason, we continue to collaborate with the judges, the prosecutor’s office and the ombudsman, providing all the information we have and activating our protocols”, he said.
He also recalled that all dioceses have established protocols and offices for the protection of minors and the presentation of complaints for abuses committed and that religious congregations have opened 142 offices belonging to 121 congregations.
In total, the Church has opened in these two years 202 offices prepared to receive complaints of abuses committed, in which it has received information on 706 cases of abuses since 1945.
The Church proposes a check that finances education, whether religious or secular
The president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), Juan José Omella, has proposed that the State finance a school check to guarantee access to a free educational system regardless of the ownership of the center, whether public or private, religious or secular.
“Families must demand the right to be able to choose the education they prefer for their children, without being penalized by the model they choose for themselves,” said Omella, who regretted that the concerted education system, although “could be a good solution, is always at risk of being cut or suffering arbitrariness by the public authorities”.
For this reason, the president of the EEC has wondered if a school check could be “the true neutrality and freedom that we ask of the competent administration.”
By way of example, he has referred to some European States that fully finance the education of children and adolescents in the school chosen by their parents, “regardless of the ownership of the same -public or private-, the educational model and the confession, religious or secular, of the same”.
Omella has indicated that the Catholic Church has an educational proposal for the person, the family and society, a proposal that “in no case do we impose”, but “we do demand respect for the freedom of parents to educate their children conscientiously according to their values.
And it has denounced that the current educational model does not adequately ensure the freedom of families and the neutrality of the State guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution, which recognizes the right of parents to educate their children in accordance with their moral and religious convictions.