The sexual abuse scandal in Bolivia linked to Catalan Jesuits has taken another step in the institutional realm. The Parliament of Catalonia has admitted for processing the request presented by the Bolivian Community of Survivors to investigate the transfer of priests accused of pedophilia between Spain and the Hispanic American country.
The petition, according to Urgente.bo, proposes the creation of an investigation commission that analyzes the responsibility of the Tarraconense Province of the Society of Jesus, its relationship with ecclesiastical and civil authorities, as well as possible reparation measures for the victims.
An “organized policy” under investigation
In this context, the report presented by the survivors maintains that these are not isolated incidents, but rather an “organized policy” of cover-up through the transfer of accused religious from Catalonia to Bolivia, where they continued to exercise their ministry.
In fact, the request includes the possibility of investigating these events as crimes against humanity, given the magnitude, duration, and systematic nature of the reported abuses. The file will now be reviewed by the Catalan Parliament’s Petitions Commission, which will decide whether to formally promote the creation of a specific commission.
Transfers and recidivism: the documented cases
Based on this foundation, the complaints are supported by specific cases that reinforce the existence of this pattern. Priests accused in educational centers in Catalonia were sent to Bolivia, where in some cases they continued to commit abuses.
Among them stands out the case of Francesc Peris, denounced for years in Barcelona and subsequently transferred to Cochabamba, where he again committed abuses against minors. Similar situations are documented in other religious who, after convictions or accusations in Spain, were assigned to vulnerable communities in Bolivia.
Additionally, the documentation includes internal correspondence that would indicate that these transfers were carried out with knowledge within the order, even when there were indications of abusive behavior.
From the complaint to political investigation
Thus, what until now had remained in the realm of public and media complaints begins to move to the institutional terrain. The step taken by the Catalan Parliament represents, for the first time, the formal entry of the case into the political agenda in Catalonia.
The objective of the investigation is not limited to clarifying specific facts, but also to determining possible responsibilities in the management of the cases, both within the Society of Jesus and in its relationship with the authorities.
The admission for processing of the petition thus marks a turning point in the course of the case, opening the possibility of an institutional investigation that determines whether there existed, as the complainants maintain, a sustained mechanism of transfers and cover-up.