Demonstration at event organised by Spanish Conference of Religious. Hypocrisy in high places.

Irene Montero,  the socialist-communist government minister responsible for a law that freed a multitude of rapists, did not receive when she was in government the victims of ecclesiastical sexual abuse with whom she demonstrated yesterday.

Cathcon: Along with the synodalists, someone else politically instrumentalising the abuse crisis for their own ends.  

The person responsible for the law that released rapists from prison disrupted a CONFER apology event.

The Church in Spain is once again becoming the target of attacks and harassment, playing the game imposed on it by the left. Irene Montero, the socialist-communist government minister responsible for a law that freed a multitude of rapists, led the boycott of an event in which the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER) was preparing to apologize for events that took place at an institution created during the Franco regime and which remained active until 1985.

An event organized by the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER) at the Pablo VI Foundation to apologize to the survivors of the Women's Protection Trust, a Francoist institution that interned thousands of young Spanish women, was interrupted by a group of women led by Montero.

The event with the beginning of the demonstration

It should be noted that this institution continued for years after the arrival of democracy in Spain. It officially ended in August 1985, when it was abolished as an autonomous body by royal decree. Their powers regarding the protection of women were transferred to the autonomous communities, and in some cases, such as in Andalusia, the centers continued to operate under new management until 1988, when the last one, the Guadalquivir Residence, was closed.

The Women of the No

The event, attended by the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, could not be closed due to the cries of "truth, justice, and reparation" and "neither forgetting nor forgiveness" from dozens of women, who held banners with the word "No."

The demonstration

 

 The Board of Trustees, which ran religious centers to "protect and educate" women considered "wayward" (such as single mothers, daughters of criminals, or rebellious minors), was accused of harassment, forced labor, physical and psychological violence, and baby abduction. Survivors like Consuelo García del Cid, 66, recounted experiences of humiliation, hunger, and abuse, including attempts to steal her children. Others, like Leire, reported violations suffered in the centers, and Micaela Ortiz recalled cold showers and spoiled food.

The President of CONFER, Jesús Díaz Sariego, acknowledged the victims' "hard and painful" experiences and asked for forgiveness, admitting that the Board of Trustees functioned as a mechanism of repression. Representatives of religious congregations, such as Carmen Ortega of the Oblates of the Most Holy Redeemer, also expressed their regret.

Irene Montero, present in the front row alongside journalist Cristina Fallarás, demanded before the event that the government and the Church hand over all the Board of Trustees' files and announced that Podemos would register a parliamentary commission of inquiry to clarify the events. She also called for a law on stolen babies and comprehensive reparations for the victims. Montero denounced the Board of Trustees as a tool of repression with "systematic violations of human rights."

Ana Redondo left the venue after the protests. Subsequently, Ministry sources asked why Montero had not received the victims during her term.

Montero's Law

The Organic Law for the Comprehensive Guarantee of Sexual Freedom, known as the "only yes is yes law," promoted by Irene Montero, came into force on October 7, 2022. According to data from the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), as of November 2023, this law resulted in the reduction of sentences for 1,233 sexual offenders, of whom 126 were released. These figures reflect sentence reviews in various courts, including the Supreme Court, the National Court, Superior Courts of Justice, and Provincial Courts. It should be noted that not all cases of release involved immediate release, as some convicted offenders had other pending sentences. The figures could be higher, as they do not include criminal court reviews for crimes with sentences of up to five years.

The Church plays the game

This is yet another example of how the Church in Spain follows the script of those who seek to annihilate its prestige by resurrecting the memory of Franco's regime half a century after the death of Francisco Franco. Those same people who vilify the Church look the other way in the face of today's facts such as abuse, rape and pimping among minors in the care of public shelters.

This attitude of collaboration has also been seen in all the actions of the Spanish Bishops Conference regarding the cases of sexual abuse in ecclesiastical environments, which continue to be an instrument of attack on the Church despite the fact that it is the institution which, while recognising past errors, has done most, if not the only one to have done something, to prevent and stop this type of criminal behaviour at its roots.

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