Spain's human rights ombudsman found more than 1% of the adult population of said they were sexually abused as children by members of the Catholic church or lay people such as teachers at Catholic schools.
More than one in 200 Spaniards say they were sexually abused by the Catholic church when they were minors, according a report published on Friday.
Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the release of the report was a "milestone" in the country's democratic history.
"Today we are a slightly better country, because a reality that everyone was for years aware of but no one talked about, has been made known," Sanchez told reporters in Brussels.
The 777-page report also included statements from 487 victims, who stressed "the emotional problems" the abuse has caused them, Gabilondo said.
The report also called for a state fund to be set up to compensate survivors, around 65% of whom are believed to be male.
Since then, the church has faced similar accusations in a number of countries including the United States, Ireland, Australia, France and Chile.
The original article contains 314 words, the summary contains 143 words. Saved 54%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
It's not about a single person molesting 200.000 children, that is pretty much impossible. The article talks about the church as a whole - clergy and lay people.