Dutch clerical sexual child abuse cover-up update

This video says about itself:

Belgian Bishop Admits Sexual Abuse of Boy – Sends Shockwave through Belgium

23 April 2010

Belgium’s longest-serving bishop admits sexually abusing a boy (his nephew). This was officially revealed at a press conference on 23 April 2010. Prior to his resignation, he was bishop of Bruges, which is located in one of the more conservatively religious regions of Flanders.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

The Dutch Religious Conference, the umbrella organization of [Roman Catholic] orders and congregations, has explicitly called upon victims of sexual abuse to complain “preferably” outside official procedures. …

A third

The Roman Catholic Church has in a third of all known cases of sexual abuse of children settled them internally, on condition of secrecy. That became apparent this morning from a study by NRC Handelsblad daily.

The Deetman committee, which investigated the sexual abuse within the church, had, quite the contrary, given the explicit advice to make all the settlements public.

Public

President Guido Klabbers of the victims’ organization KLOKK also said today to NRC Handelsblad that all abuse cases must be published.

“This also applies to the cases settled through mediation and settlement. It should be clear for what crimes compensation was paid. And it can not be that victims should be silent again.” …

Most church organizations according to the NRC refuse to say anything about the secret settlements. The Friars of Tilburg admitted there were 64 victims through the Foundation for Management & Supervision, and they concluded 28 direct settlements and another five via mediation.

The Jesuits paid almost 900,000 euros to 24 victims after a direct settlement or mediation. They paid more than 400,000 euros to twelve people through public complaints. The Jesuits are willing to make the files public anonymously, if the survivors agree.

The same applies to the Salesians, who have paid a total of 1.5 million. Of these, 1 million went to 36 victims with mediation agreements.

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