Catholic Church nailed in Dutch report
Source: Agencies |
December 18, 2011, Sunday
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THOUSANDS of children suffered sexual abuse in Dutch Catholic institutions over the past 65 years, and church officials knew about the abuse but failed to stop it or help victims because they feared sparking scandals, according to a long-awaited report released on Friday. The report also estimated that one in 10 Dutch children suffered some form of sexual abuse more broadly in society.
The findings detailed some of the most widespread abuse yet linked to the Catholic Church, which has been under fire for years over abuse allegations in multiple countries, including the United States. The Dutch probe prompted the archbishop of Utrecht to apologize to victims on behalf of the entire Dutch Catholic organization, saying the report "fills us with shame and sorrow."
The abuse ranged from "unwanted sexual advances" to rape, the report said. Abusers numbered in the hundreds, at least, and included priests, brothers, pastors and lay people who worked in religious orders and congregations. The number of abuse victims likely lies somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000, according to the probe, which went back as far as 1945.
The commission was set up last year under the leadership of former government minister Wim Deetman, who said there could be no doubt church leaders knew of the problem. "The idea that people did not know there was a risk ... is untenable," he said.
Deetman said abuse continued in part because the Catholic Church in the Netherlands was splintered, so bishops and religious orders sometimes worked autonomously to deal with abuse and "did not hang out their dirty laundry."
Similar probes and reports in the US, Canada, Ireland, Belgium and other countries also have documented widespread cases of children suffering at the hands of Catholic clergy and others working at church institutions.
The Dutch probe followed allegations of repeated incidents of abuse at one cloister that spread to claims from other Catholic institutions.
The investigating commission received some 1,800 complaints of abuse at Catholic schools, seminaries and orphanages. It then conducted a broader survey of the general population for a more comprehensive analysis of the scale and nature of sexual abuse.
Based on a poll of more than 34,000 people, the commission estimated that one in 10 children suffered some form of abuse in society. The number doubled to 20 percent of children who spent part of their youth in an institution like an orphanage or boarding school - whether Catholic or not.
The findings detailed some of the most widespread abuse yet linked to the Catholic Church, which has been under fire for years over abuse allegations in multiple countries, including the United States. The Dutch probe prompted the archbishop of Utrecht to apologize to victims on behalf of the entire Dutch Catholic organization, saying the report "fills us with shame and sorrow."
The abuse ranged from "unwanted sexual advances" to rape, the report said. Abusers numbered in the hundreds, at least, and included priests, brothers, pastors and lay people who worked in religious orders and congregations. The number of abuse victims likely lies somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000, according to the probe, which went back as far as 1945.
The commission was set up last year under the leadership of former government minister Wim Deetman, who said there could be no doubt church leaders knew of the problem. "The idea that people did not know there was a risk ... is untenable," he said.
Deetman said abuse continued in part because the Catholic Church in the Netherlands was splintered, so bishops and religious orders sometimes worked autonomously to deal with abuse and "did not hang out their dirty laundry."
Similar probes and reports in the US, Canada, Ireland, Belgium and other countries also have documented widespread cases of children suffering at the hands of Catholic clergy and others working at church institutions.
The Dutch probe followed allegations of repeated incidents of abuse at one cloister that spread to claims from other Catholic institutions.
The investigating commission received some 1,800 complaints of abuse at Catholic schools, seminaries and orphanages. It then conducted a broader survey of the general population for a more comprehensive analysis of the scale and nature of sexual abuse.
Based on a poll of more than 34,000 people, the commission estimated that one in 10 children suffered some form of abuse in society. The number doubled to 20 percent of children who spent part of their youth in an institution like an orphanage or boarding school - whether Catholic or not.
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