The Fills de la Sagrada Família congregation, which owns the Pare Manyanet schools in Barcelona, has filed a lawsuit against the parents of two former students who died by suicide in 2019 and 2021. The legal action, first reported by 3Cat and confirmed by EFE, seeks €70,000 in damages for alleged harm to the institution’s honour and image. The parents affected are those of Kira, a 15-year-old student at the Pare Manyanet school in Sant Andreu who died by suicide in 2019, and Òscar, a former student at the Pare Manyanet school in Les Corts who died by suicide at 21 in 2021. Both families have publicly questioned whether the school adequately protected their children during their time at the institution.

Allegations of Institutional Failures

Kira’s parents have long maintained that the school failed to act on persistent bullying she endured. Òscar’s family has raised concerns that he may have been sexually abused by a teacher during his time at the school, though he was no longer enrolled at the time of his death. The lawsuit also names the Trencats association, which supports families affected by abuse in religious institutions. Noelia Rebón, the lawyer representing the families and the association, described the legal action as "nonsensical" and "un-Christian." She stated that if the congregation’s reputation is damaged, it is due to ongoing investigations, not the families’ public statements.

If their reputation is in question, it is not because of these families, but because of the ongoing investigations.

Rebón referenced the 2023 conviction of Joaquim Calvet, the former rector of the Pare Manyanet school in Sant Andreu, who was found guilty of possessing over 35,000 files of child pornography on his work computer. A Barcelona court sentenced him to two years of disqualification from any role involving contact with minors, confirming that the material was downloaded but not produced or shared by him.

School Defends Its Reputation

In a statement to EFE, representatives of Pare Manyanet said the lawsuit aims to protect the institution’s "honor and image," calling accusations of covering up sexual abuse "extremely serious" and unacceptable. They described the process as painful but necessary. The congregation stressed that it has always cooperated with police investigations and affirmed the families’ right to seek the truth. However, they also noted that two years ago, they filed a separate defamation complaint against Kira’s parents, which was dismissed in April 2026. An appeal against that dismissal has been admitted for review. The Fills de la Sagrada Família congregation, founded by Saint Josep Manyanet in the 19th century, operates several educational institutions in Catalonia. Its official website highlights its social outreach, including a Social Action Fund that allocated €2.3 million to 56 social projects in 2026.

Reported by elmundo.es, sagradafamilia.org, beteve.cat, blog.sagradafamilia.org, 3CatInfo Barcelona, store.sagradafamilia.org, El Mundo Cataluña.