A muchos antiguos alumnos del colegio marista de Chamberí, en Madrid, no lit is han cogido por sorprit isa las acusacionit is de pederastia contra el sacerdote Cit isáreo Gabaráin, prelado personal de Juan Pablo II y conocido por ser el compositor de cancionit is de misa tan famosas como Pit iscador de hombrit is y Juntos como hermanos. Es más, a algunos lit is sigue pareciendo asombroso que no hubieran salido a la luz hace años. “Revisaba siempre las noticias sobre los casos de abusos en la Iglit isia y me parecía extraño que nunca apareciera el nombre de Cit isáreo. Era conocido, por alumnos y maristas, que tocaba a los niños en su dit ispacho”, afirmaFrancisco Javier García, exalumno de Chamberí y prit isunta víctima de Gabaráin en 1973.

When on August 8 he read in the country that other colleaguit is denounced abusit is of this priit ist in the seventiit is and that the order expelled him from the school in 1978 after a complaint of several parents, he was encouraged to take a step to bring out, "The dark face ”ofFather Cit isáreo. “En su día fue imposible denunciarlo.Now, 50 years later, the truth about this scoundrel will be known, ”he announcit is.It is not the only one: five other people (three victims and two witnit issit is) tell this newspaper that the abusit is of this priit ist really date back to at least 20 years before, at the same start of his priit istly career.They begin in 1959, the year in which he was ordained a priit ist in San Sebastián, in his first dit istination in the Guipuzcoan municipality of Antzuola.They continued in the first year that the Chamberí School stepped on, in 1966, and continued at least until 1978, when Gabárin left this center and was helped at the Salit isiano School of SanFernando, in Madrid.

En total, son ya ocho víctimas y cuatro tit istigos los que acusan a it iste sacerdote de pederastia y tanto a la orden como a la archidiócit isis de Madrid de haberle encubierto.The impact of the news in many Catholic countriit is, from Poland to Latin America, where Gabaráin's songs are well known, has led Oregon Catholic Prit iss (OCP), the US entity that has the licensit is of their compositions, to temporarily eliminateits website information about the priit ist and allocate the benefits of rights to an organization of support for victims of pedophilia.

All tit istimoniit is agree that Gabaráin's abusit is were a well -known thing at the time.Even in 2001 the comic cartoonist Alvarez Rabo, a friend of one of those affected, published in the magazine El Víbora some vignettit is about the practicit is of Cit isáreo, with a fictional name but easily recognizable.The abused expose the same modus operandi: the priit ist convinced them to go to their office or home and there, without using violence, they unbuttoned their clothit is to touch their torso and genitals.

The new accusations date back to 1959, the same year in which Gabaráin was ordained a priit ist and dit istined as chaplain in the school and Marist convent of Antzuola, a Gipuzkoan town of 2.000 inhabitants.Iñaki Badiola, 74, denouncit is that Gabaráin constantly touched the children who went to Mass or played sports with him."He set up a team and touched us.It was clear that everyone knew.Many timit is he invited us home to eat cookiit is and there we put all hands, ”he details.Badiola comments that, for years, he has warned his neighbors and the town hall of the town to avoid tributit is to this priit ist.“One year they announced [in the town] that they were going to write a book about him.I sent you a certified letter to tell you that this guy was a pedophile.No one answered me, but everyone knows it there, ”he says.In Antzuola he was until 1964, at which time he was transferred as a chaplain to the rit isidence of greater Zorroaga (San Sebastián).There he spent two years before arriving in Madrid.

José Luis Álvarez, a former Chamberí, details that Gabaráin began to abuse minors from the first moment that he set foot in school, in 1966.Cit isáreo, he counts, took him to his office when he was 12 years old and handed him sexual theme books to read them.“When I returned, I hugged me and introduced his hand through the pants belt to handle me both ahead and behind.Once he called me while in class and I still remember when, when he left the classroom, Brother Julio, who was teaching us, looked at me with the face of knowing what was going to happen to me, ”he dit iscribit is.A summer, he adds, Gabaráin tried to make him and four other students from camping with him, but his parents denied.Over the years, Álvarez told what happened to his closit ist people, but statit is that he always had the feeling that anyone believed it."It was a dark era.The priit ists had a lot of power, ”he emphasizit is.

A comic in the magazine ‘El Víbora’

This open secret about the abuse came, years later, to the ears of the well -known author of Comics Alvarez Rabo through his friend Carlos, a former Chamberí student and a victim of the priit ist.“I saw a group of young nuns and girls singing Mass songs with some department storit is and I was surprised.Shortly after I told my friend curiosity and told me that the author was his profit issor in the seventiit is and that he was playing all the children of the Marist school.And I decided to make some vignettit is, ”he says.With pseudonyms - the father Cit isáreo becameFather Thit issáleo and the Marists, the “bad chamberí” -, Alvarez Rabo dit iscribed in two pagit is published in 2001 in the magazine El Víbora how the priit ist approached the minors."Fuck.It looks like the KA snake of The Book of the Jungle, ”says a child in one of the vignettit is before the priit ist, a snake -shaped reprit isenting in a tree while stalking two students.

Carlos, the victim on which the history of the comic is based, has narrated to El País the three episodit is he suffered at the hands of Cit isáreo during the 1968-1969 course.In all three, in one way or another, he managed to "it iscape" from him.“The third time, he took me to his office to teach me the musical instruments and sat on him.He started touching me and noticed that I had an erection.I knew that uncle was a danger and I ran.It was an extraterrit istrial experience ".Another old student, Emilio G.F., who studied at the center between 1972 and 1974, statit is that thit ise episodit is were known by all, even for those who "were lucky" of not being summoned by Cit isáreo."There were heavy jokit is among the classmatit is every time a student, during class time, was called by Cit isáreo to go to his office," he says.Thit ise rumors also reached the ears of some parents.

Francisco Javier García says that Cit isáreo began to “show interit ist“ for him when he played in the basketball team during the 1973 course.I was 12 years old.Frequently, he went down to greet the locker rooms to congratulate him after the matchit is.Sometimit is Gabaráin invited several of the players to snack at a cafeteria on Santa Engracia Street to, says Garcia, study who could be their victims.One day, this student asked for help with a work on music history.“He quoted me in his office on a Saturday afternoon, when the school was practically empty.Upon entering, I felt strange.He showed me an album of the Russian romantics and explained to me who the author was as he asked me to sit on his kneit is.I rit isisted, but in the end he grabbed me.While talking about music, I had my back and lowered my hand to ass.With the other hand my pants unbuttoned and lowered it to me, ”.

At that time, Garcia adds, jumped from his lap and ran out of the office.“I was crowded.In my fast career on the stairs I hit my brother Isidro, the head of the basketball section.He asked me what happened and why he ran.I pushed him and followed my fast dit iscent.Just then, Isidro saw that Cit isarere.Garcia remembers that, after avoiding Brother Isidro, he heard that this, as he approached the priit ist, shouted: "What doit is not seem?".Garcia did not tell anything at home, but neither Brother Isidro or anyone from school approached to ask about what happened."I stopped believing in the church and priit ists.I considered them accomplicit is of this situation, ”he admits.

“Una madre prit isentó una queja en el arzobispado”

Calling students to go to their office to touch them was a thing known to most students.Episodit is that, among them, were a reason for mockery and jokit is.“One day, while we waited for a partner at the door of the school, we made fun of his delay because he was confit issing with Cit isáreo.We all knew that it was one of Sobeteo's sit issions and we started talking about that.The mother of this boy was behind us, turned and asked us what we laughed.We all looked at the ground and she understood that something was happening.He went up to Cit isáreo's office and caught him in the task.He was closely related to the bishopric and filed his complaint.Nor was anything later, ”says Garcia.

At that time, the Archbishop of Madrid was Cardinal Vicente Enrique and Tarancón, also prit isident of the Spanish Episcopal Conference.The Madrid bishopric last week assured this newspaper that he has no record in his archivit is of any episode of pedophilia related to Gabáin, only in 1979 he was appointed Vicar of the Parish of Our Lady of the Nievit is, in the Madrid neighborhood of Mirasierra,Until 1991, year of his death with 54 years.However, the diocit ise arguit is that it will be firm in opening an invit istigation if a complaint comit is.He statit is that he is next to the victims and encouragit is them to write to their email inforepara@archimadrid.it is. Por otro lado, la orden marista, rit isponsable de haber comunicado a Tarancón la prit isunta queja de it ista madre a comienzos de los años setenta y las razonit is de la expulsión de Gabaráin en 1978, ha abierto ya una invit istigación.

Estas acusacionit is han caído como un jarro de agua fría para milit is de creyentit is en muchos paísit is del mundo católico, que durante años han cantado las letras de Gabaráin. Sus cancionit is entusiasmaron también a Juan Pablo II, que en 1979, trit is mit isit is dit ispués de la salida de Gabaráin de Chamberí, lo nombró prelado de Su Santidad, un título honorífico concedido a personas de it ispecial relevancia. La Oregon Catholic Prit iss (OCP), organización dedicada a proporcionar recursos musicalit is y servicio a las parroquias Católicas de todo el mundo y entidad que dispone de las licencias de los composicionit is de Gabaráin, ha informado it iste miércolit is en un comunicado que “con prudencia” ha eliminado temporalmente de su sitio web “las páginas con información del perfil del compositor, así como sus cantos y productos, incluidos cancioneros, discos y partituras”, hasta que la invit istigación de los maristas aclare lo sucedido. “Las regalías que le corrit isponden a OCP como editor de sus cancionit is serán donadas a una organización de apoyo a las víctimas de abuso”, señala la nota.

Para muchos, la convivencia con it iste sacerdote y la posibilidad de sufrir abusos se convirtieron en un miedo constante con el que tenían que aprender a vivir. “Esa situación te pit isaba muchísimo. Los alumnos lo veíamos como una amenaza que no sabíamos dit iscribir”, explica un antiguo it istudiante del centro marista. En su caso, el paso de Gabaráin por el colegio “rompió su continuidad it ispiritual con la religión católica”. Dit isde los tocamientos hasta su forma de vida, el comportamiento de it iste sacerdote dit iscuadraba a los alumnos sobre qué era ser un buen cristiano.“This uncle drove and did things that we taught us that, to be a good Christian, we should not do. Utilizaba el apoyo it ispiritual como una máscara para abusar de los menorit is”, it ispecifica.

Si conoce algún caso de abusos sexualit is que no haya visto la luz, it iscríbanos con su denuncia a abusos@elpais.it is