The Diocese of Getafe has confirmed that it removed one of its priests last August after receiving an internal complaint for alleged sexual abuses committed two days earlier against a 17-year-old youth. The case, revealed by El País, constitutes the fourth hidden episode that has come to light in this Madrid diocese in just ten days and once again puts the focus on the ecclesiastical management of complaints and on the actions of its leaders over decades.
The complaint reached the diocese on August 18, two days after the events. According to a diocesan spokesperson, «appropriate precautionary measures» were then applied, including the prohibition of contact with minors. The victim is a former student of the seminary where the priest worked until the end of the last school year. The diocese insists that the alleged abuses did not occur within the center.
The accused priest has declined to offer his version, limiting himself to stating: «This is being handled by a lawyer.» From the diocese, they emphasize that the priest «maintains his innocence» and that until now «no knowledge had ever been had of any inappropriate conduct.»
Late investigation and absence of immediate report to civil authorities
According to El País, the diocese opened a preliminary investigation, but did not report the case to the justice system until the family did so weeks later. This raises questions about compliance with the Child Protection Law, whose article 15 requires reporting «immediately» any fact constituting a crime against a minor, a duty especially required of those entrusted with their education or care.
When asked about this, the diocese explained that it did not inform the authorities earlier because the family «did not want to» and because, with the minor «duly protected,» they sought «the most appropriate moment» for his psychological stability. It also assures that it collaborated in the subsequent filing of the criminal complaint and that the Office for the Protection of Minors is accompanying the young man and his family.
From the episcopate, they stress that this case has no relation to the seminary where the accused worked, and that his transfer to a parish was decided in June due to «a new project for the center and the seminary.»
Previous cases and pending responsibilities
El País clarifies that this new episode adds to three other hidden cases until now: two priests who have already passed away and a third (J. A. F.), currently in the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante and still active. In at least two of these complaints, Rafael Zornoza, today bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta, is mentioned as aware of the facts.
The cases revealed in recent days question the actions of the three bishops who have led the diocese since its creation in 1991: Francisco José Pérez, first bishop, already deceased; Joaquín María López de Andújar, bishop from 2004 to 2018; Ginés García Beltrán, current incumbent.
Consulted by El País, the diocese acknowledges that «the absence of protocols and guidelines» in the past caused some complaints not to be managed with the due speed and adequacy.
A diocese marked by silences and omissions
The accumulation of cases and the deficient management of some of them evidence a pattern of institutional opacity and late decisions that have left victims unprotected for years. Although the diocese assures its «commitment against any type of abuse» and its total collaboration with the justice system, the facts show that there is still a long way to go to restore trust and ensure effective mechanisms for prevention, monitoring, and transparency.