Belgian authorities heightened pressure on the Roman Catholic Church in a sex-abuse scandal on Thursday, raiding the Belgian church headquarters, the home of a former archbishop and the offices of a commission established by the church to handle abuse complaints.
Police arrived at the church headquarters, the palace of the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, on Thursday morning while the monthly bishops meeting was in progress, a church spokesman said, questioning all of those present, from bishops down to staff members such as cooks and drivers.
Now that’s more like it. That sounds as if someone actually realizes that raping children is a crime, and not a little foible that can be gently discouraged by one’s colleagues without anyone’s hair having to get mussed.
The authorities’ decision to search church property, question bishops and seize documents and other potential evidence represented a major departure in such investigations and a sign that in criminal matters the church will not be afforded special treatment here. This sort of activity “Is extremely rare, very rare, especially in the house of a cardinal,” said Andrea Tornielli, a Vatican expert at the Italian daily Il Giornale. “It’s enormous.”
…Barbara Dorris, outreach director for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said in a statement that the raid was “precisely what’s needed, not just in Belgium but in other church offices across the globe.”
“Law enforcement officials must stop giving the Catholic hierarchy a ‘free pass’ when it comes to clergy sex crimes and cover-ups,” Ms. Dorris said. “Police and prosecutors need to step up, and promptly and thoroughly investigate allegations against predator priests and corrupt bishops, and use their full powers to gain access to and control over church records that likely document the crimes and cover-ups.”
No more special treatment. That’s all. Not an unreasonable expectation.
Comments
9 responses to “Put your hands out where I can see them”
Indeed it is rare – but for all the wrong reasons.
Not a surprise.
Police and justice in Belgium are often very light-handed to the point of negligence but they very, very quick on the trigger when it comes to child molestation.
The country got badly bruised by the Dutroux Affair and now, they take that stuff extremely seriously.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux
I hate to say I suspected you of stooping so low, OB – but when I saw the headline for this post I thought you were talking about this study.
Thank you, George. For once, I’m not the only one to think something naughty on first read!
Good for Belgium. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a growing worldwide legal action. The rest of the world needs to wake up and do something about this.
Even if they’re not doing it for the right reasons, the point is it’s happening and it should be kept high profile so that people elsewhere can realise it can be done. It breaks through an important barrier of unjustified respect. I don’t know, maybe one of the reasons the law hasn’t stepped in properly elsewhere onto what is actually its own turf is some sub-conscious fear of touching those who claim divinity, a hesitation in case clapping the cuffs on a cardinal should unleash a bolt from the blue.
Prosecuting child rape is the last acceptable bigotry.
But not “appalled” by the rape of children and the subsequent cover-up.
In the interest of equal treatment under the law for any organization suspected of such behaviour, I think the next step is for law enforcement agencies to start investiagting these commissions for obstruction of justice.
I’m sure the rcc would have no problem with that and would in fact actively cooperate, just like they have in child abuse investiagations.
Ger your cassock on. You’re nicked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZT5Fq7KuPk