Ciro Molina: Priest Abuse Survivor Seeks Recognition After Landmark Compensation Deal

As an adult, I sometimes saw the priest who abused me as a child. Once, I asked him why he did it. He replied that he did it because he loved me. Twenty-two years later, Ciro Molina says he has overcome the psychological problems. But he also admits: "I've found ways to push the trauma away, but deep down, I'll always be that child who was abused by a priest."

Ciro, a 37-year-old man from Tejina, Tenerife, will be in Moncloa this Friday, January 9, 2026. He's attending a meeting with Félix Bolaños, the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, and groups representing Church abuse victims. He will be there as the Canary Islands spokesperson for the national association 'Stolen Childhood' (Anir).

Ciro Molina heard about the landmark agreement between Pedro Sánchez's government and the Spanish Church on Wednesday evening. This deal, announced officially on Thursday morning, will create a system to compensate and acknowledge victims of sexual abuse. "I felt joy," he said. "It's the result of so many years of fighting, during which the bishops refused to take responsibility for the serious events that happened within the Church."

From age 9 to 15, Molina was sexually assaulted by the priest of Tejina. This priest also served in parishes in Arona, Granadilla, and Tacoronte (Tenerife), and Valle Hermoso (La Gomera). Now 80, he is retired and has never faced justice for his actions. Ciro initially faced the same isolation and even threats that many other victims experienced. When he finally filed two complaints, he found no justice because the crimes were too old to be prosecuted.

He suffered from adjustment disorder, anxious-depressive disorder, and developmental blockage. Even as a victim, he received anonymous threatening calls and all sorts of retaliation. "It even affected my parents, who were very religious. Sometimes they weren't left in peace during mass," he remembers. "Some people even crossed the street to avoid me. Even now, acquaintances of the priest who abused me won't make eye contact."

After breaking down much of the wall he had built around himself, his story was included in the testimonies collected by the Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo. These testimonies concern sexual assaults on minors by Catholic religious figures. Thanks to these efforts, the Victim Support Unit now knows of 674 affected individuals in Spain, with at least nine in the Canary Islands.

However, he still suffers from lasting effects that are hard to heal, says Ciro, who is from the islands. Perhaps because of the sensitivity that developed in him after his difficult childhood, he now works to help integrate vulnerable children into society. "I still have anxiety attacks, especially when something happens that makes me relive that nightmare."

Learning to express his feelings without fully reopening that wound has helped him greatly. His appearance before the La Laguna City Council on October 13, 2022, was a historic moment. "The actions of the past are still relevant, even if they happened decades ago. That's because the pain of those affected doesn't expire, and wounds need to heal," he said that day.

During that speech, Ciro Molina said he felt "absolute abandonment and helplessness" from the then Bishop of Tenerife, Bernardo Álvarez, who died last year. Speaking to EL DÍA this Thursday, he recalled that Bernardo Álvarez refused to support his efforts to bring the abuse to justice. "He downplayed it, claiming these were just customs of the time."

Molina believes that this denial, which has been present for so many years among Spain's top Church authorities and their offices, is still very much alive today, despite Thursday's agreement. In fact, he thinks the bishops – with a few exceptions – have only agreed to the compensation because of pressure from the Vatican.

Before his meeting this Friday with Bolaños, and another previous one with the minister, Ciro Molina met in Rome with representatives from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. This commission was created by Pope Francis and continued by his successor, Leo XIV.

"The Church proposed a plan where it wanted to be both judge and jury," Molina explains. "But victim associations demanded a neutral body that would be objective. Generally, the bishops didn't understand the idea of restorative justice, and many refused to publicly show their shame and condemnation of pedophilia cases. That's why we suggested the Ombudsman." This institution, led by Gabilondo, will oversee the process.

Ciro will be one of the victims who registers for the compensation process, thanks to the agreement. "I won't do it for the money, as that won't fix anything. I'll do it so these injustices don't happen again and so all the suffering caused is finally recognized." Because, as he concludes, "first they abused us, and then they crushed us."