Spain: priest's conviction for continuous sexual abuse of a student under his spiritual direction affirmed by Supreme Court

Cited record

Sources

national court press office · final appellate disposition Consejo General del Poder Judicial (2024) 'El Tribunal Supremo confirma la condena de 8 años y medio de prisión a un cura por abusos sexuales continuados a una adolescente con la que ejercía de director espiritual', poderjudicial.es.

'[...] sometida a estos actos por el papel quasi-paternal que el sacerdote asumía, el respeto y la confianza que le profesaba como director espiritual y sacerdote, y su manipulación al sostener que sus actos eran lo que Dios quería.' (submitted to these acts because of the quasi-parental role the priest assumed, the respect and trust she held for him as spiritual director and priest, and his manipulation by claiming his acts were what God wanted.) English gloss: this is the official court press release explicitly finding the spiritual-authority mechanism.

catholic press · background and facts InfoVaticana (2024) 'El Tribunal Supremo confirma ocho años y medio de cárcel para un sacerdote de Toledo por abusos a una menor', infovaticana.com.

Names the priest as José Luis Galán and confirms the Talavera de la Reina, Diocese of Toledo, location and school-trip origin of the relationship (met on a school Camino de Santiago trip in 4th ESO, became her spiritual director the following year).