Spanish bishops elect Luis Argüello as presidentThe Secretary General of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Francisco César García Magán, has explained the work carried out by the Spanish bishops in what has been the 124 Plenary Assembly from which a new government team emerges.
The election of the main positions of the Episcopal Conference as well as the work on the prevention of abuse and the pastoral care of migrants were the "highlights" of the last assembly of all the Spanish bishops, which took place from March 4 to 8.
The bishops' spokesman began the press conference by stressing that "We are all in this life thanks to the work of a woman," in reference to the International Day of Working Women, which is celebrated on March 8. García Magán wanted to make "grateful memory to many women of our life".
Comprehensive reparation plan for victims of abuse
Beyond the "chapter of appointments" which, in fact, has centered the 50% of the Plenary, the Secretary General of the EEC wanted to highlight the approval of "the principles of the plan of integral reparation for victims of sexual abuse in the ecclesiastical sphere". This is a first step "from which will emanate the general norms to be applied in cases of reparation".
In addition to the observations of the bishops and the ideas contained in the Message to the People of God of the Plenary, these principles include indications from the Episcopal Council for Legal Affairs and the compliance body of the Episcopal Conference.
When asked about the lengthy time this work is taking, the secretary of the Spanish bishops said that it is a complicated job and that "indeed, to do it well, it takes more time than desired".
According to the Press Release distributed by the EEC at the end of this conference, this plan "is aimed at preventing cases of abuse of minors from happening again. At the same time, it proposes how to offer the victims an integral and adequate reparation, responding to the demand that each particular case requires".
One of the most striking data in relation to the task of prevention and reparation of sexual abuse within the Church has been the new testimonies of 155 people who had suffered abuse from the 1940s to the present day and that the offices of care and reception have been receiving throughout 2023.
When asked about the data in this report, the Spanish Episcopal Conference pointed out that "the report incorporates the cases as they arrive" as well as corrections that have been made.
The secretary of the bishops emphasized that "the work of formation is the axis of the prevention of abuse that the Church is developing". And in this sense, he highlighted the more than 250,000 people who have received training for the prevention of abuse.
A pastoral care for the reception and integration of migrants
Another topic discussed was the pastoral care of migrants. The bishops were introduced to the text of a pastoral exhortation: "Welcoming and Missionary Communities. Pastoral exhortation on the identity and framework of the Pastoral with migrants".
The document, which is still being studied by the bishops, "provides a transversal approach" and "proposes a pastoral pedagogy more focused on networking and projects. It also offers guidelines, keys to transformation and a set of up to 42 proposals and good practices".
The future of Spanish seminaries
Another topic discussed was the creation of an "ad hoc Commission, made up of eight rectors from different areas, to continue working" on the document "Criteria for the updating of initial priestly formation in the Major Seminaries of the particular Churches that make up the Spanish Episcopal Conference", which was delivered to the bishops in Rome last November and which directly concerns the development of the seminaries. seminars Spanish diocesans, their "viability" and future.
Regarding a possible visit of the Pope, Magán pointed out that "the bishops of the Canary Islands presented this possibility and the Pope welcomed it with interest, but we do not know more".
