Half of Dutch cardinals, bishops ‘ linked’ to abuse

The Hague, Sept. 17: A media report linking half of the cardinals and bishops who served in the Netherlands between 1945 and 2010 to abuse cases has drawn the country’s Catholic Church into the church’s global sex abuse and cover- up scandal.

The leader of a group of Dutch victims of abuse by Catholic clergy called Monday for the church to make public all it knows about such cases if it wants to win back trust.

“If they want this misery to end — these are crimes committed against

The report was based on a 2011 Dutch Catholic Church report about abuse, victims’ testimony to a commission of inquiry and the newspaper’s own research.

children, you can’t just walk away from that - then they have to make things public and set up a new system where people can file complaints,” said Bert Smeets, an abuse victim who represents a group of survivors called

It is the latest sex abuse scandal to rock the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has signaled that he will take action to end what he has called a ‘ culture of cover- up’ in the church.

Mea Culpa.

Smeets’ comments came after a weekend report by respected Dutch daily NRC linked 20 of 39 bishops and cardinals to abuse. The paper reported that four bishops committed abuse and a further 16 senior clergymen transferred priests who had been accused of abuse to new locations.

The report was based on a 2011 Dutch Catholic Church report about abuse, victims’ testimony to a commission of inquiry and the newspaper’s own research.

It is the latest sex abuse scandal to rock the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has signaled that he will take action to end what he has called a “culture of cover- up” in the church.