Spain's Bishops Apologize for Sex Abuse, But Dispute Victim Numbers

Spain's Catholic bishops have issued an apology for sex abuses committed by church members, following a report by Spain's Ombudsman that accused the church of negligence. However, the bishops disputed media interpretations of the report, which estimated the number of victims involving the church to be in the hundreds of thousands. The bishops argued that this figure was misleading, as it included victims abused outside of the church. They stated that the church would contribute to an economic reparation program that includes all victims of child sexual abuse, not just those abused within the church. The report, which is Spain's first official probe into the issue, revealed that 1.13% of Spanish adults surveyed claimed to have been abused as children by priests or lay members of the church. The bishops' conference is conducting a parallel inquiry, and its findings are expected to be released later this year.