Spain's Catholic Church signs deal on sexual abuse compensation

The Spanish government and the Roman Catholic Church have signed an agreement to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse. The accord aims to address cases where legal avenues are unavailable due to statutes of limitations or the death of the accused. The government will manage compensation in coordination with the Church, supplementing the Church's existing reparation scheme, which has faced criticism for lack of transparency and slow progress. The agreement follows complaints that the Church had not adequately addressed the issue, and seeks to provide redress for an estimated hundreds of thousands of abuse victims. This initiative is considered unprecedented as it addresses crimes beyond the statute of limitations, and aims to pay off a historical and moral debt to the victims.

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