The New York Times
Published: January 16, 2012
By STEPHEN CASTLE
BRUSSELS — The Belgian authorities searched the offices of bishops in three cities on Monday, removing documents as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse that has plunged the country’s Roman Catholic church into crisis.
The raids took place in Antwerp, the eastern city of Hasselt, and Mechelen, where, in 2010, investigators drilled into a crypt in the quest for evidence.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecution Service, Lieve Pellens, said that the investigation, known as Operation Chalice, was an important phase in which officials were trying to establish whether there were grounds to prosecute priests on charges of negligence and failing to aid abuse victims.
“We have had around 200 statements from victims,” she said, “and based on these, and 87 civil claims, we wanted to look at the individual personal records of priests made by their superiors to see if, in these records that were kept by archbishops or bishops, there is anything useful.”
Of the 20 to 25 files removed, Ms. Pellens said, most were of old cases dating from the 1960s or 1970s, she said.
Last week, the church said that priests who had abused children could be required to pay damages if they were able to do so.
The issue of child sexual abuse has undermined the church’s credibility in many Western nations, as revelations piled up for months of cover-ups by bishops of priests’ misconduct. Belgium found itself in turmoil as hundreds of people came forward to offer harrowing accounts of abuse over several decades. The former bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, shocked the nation when he admitted that he had abused two nephews.
At the time of the crypt drilling, Pope Benedict XVI had called the action “deplorable.” A Belgian court later ruled that excessive force had been used, but the inquiry was allowed to continue on the condition that legal constraints were observed. The lawyer representing the church in the case, Fernand Keuleneer, said of Monday’s searches that had investigators “called the diocese, there would have been no problem.”
“These files would have been sent to them,” he said
Several of the documents related to priests who were dead, and Mr. Keuleneer said he was unhappy that files on at least one case not specifically requested had been removed.
The material seized might also have included documentation from victims who had asked not to have their testimony passed on the judicial authorities, he said.
The Belgian church is also leading an investigation into the allegations.
Nevertheless this was a more targeted search than the previous raid at Mechelen, Mr. Keuleneer said. “In June 2010, they just didn’t have a clue — it was a fishing expedition,” he said.
__________________________________
Belgian authorities raid 3 bishops’ offices as part of probe into child abuse scandal
Belgian authorities raid 3 bishops’ offices
newser.com
16 January 2012
By RAF CASERT | ASSOCIATED PRESS
Belgian authorities on Monday raided the administrative offices of three Catholics bishops, part of an ongoing child abuse investigation that has previously raised the ire of the Vatican and church officials.
Belgian Catholic Church spokesman Geert Lesage said the offices in Hasselt, Mechelen and Antwerp cooperated during the raids and handed over requested files as much as possible. He said it was still unclear exactly what authorities were seeking.
The raid was the first since one in 2010 code-named Operation Chalice, in which authorities seized hundreds of case files from a church and used power tools to open a prelate’s crypt in Mechelen’s St. Rumbold Cathedral seeking evidence. Pope Benedict XVI called the raids “deplorable” at the time.
That raid was declared excessive by a Belgian court, but the government said the investigation could continue if the inquiry respects legal rules.
Bishops’ offices said they fully cooperated with the investigation Monday.
“The whole procedure was correctly dealt with,” said Clem Vande Broek, a spokesman for the Hasselt bishop’s office.
In Hasselt, the files of four cases were taken, but church officials were allowed to take a copy first, Vande Broek said. He said two of the cases dated from over 40 years back while the suspects involved had already died and were already known to judicial authorities.
In Mechelen, the probe continued into the afternoon and it was unclear how many files would be taken.
A spokesman for the investigators did not immediately return a phone call requesting comment.
Over the past two years, more than 500 witnesses have come forward with accounts of molestation by Catholic clergy in Belgium, spanning several decades.
The scandal has had a huge impact on the Belgian church and has highlighted the issue of sex abuse, which has undermined the church’s credibility in many Western nations. Revelations of rape or other sexual abuse of minors by priests, and of cover-ups by bishops, piled up for months.
The Belgian church is also leading an investigation into the allegations.
__________________________________
Belgian authorities raid three bishops’ offices
thejournal.ie
16 January 2012
Belgian Catholic Church spokesman Geert Lesage said the offices in the Hasselt, Mechelen and Antwerp cooperated during the raids and handed over requested files as much as possible.
A judicial official close to the investigation, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Monday’s surprise raids were based on some 200 witness accounts and 87 civil claims and sought to reveal if high-level clergy were involved in keeping abuse covered up.
Over the past two years, more than 500 witnesses have come forward with accounts of molestation by Catholic clergy in Belgium over several decades. One bishop was forced to resign in 2010 after he admitted he abused a nephew.
The main part of the investigation centers on “the non-assistance to people in danger and is targeted at people higher up in the hierarchy,” the official said. “Possibly, we will be able to charge people.” The official would not expand on who in the church hierarchy could potentially be charged.
“Today we saw the start of the final phase of Operation Chalice,” the official said, using the investigation’s code name. The official said the next step would likely be in a couple of months.
Tommy Scholtes, the spokesman for the Belgian bishop’s conference said, “it is up to the judicial authorities to find out whether there has been negligence.”
Church officials in both Mechelen and Hasselt said that several files taken Monday centered on the 1960s and 1970s. The cases are past the statute of limitation, but could still be used to show “non-assistance to people in danger,” said Jeroen Moens, a spokesman for the Mechelen Bishops’ office.
A tally of the raids showed that some two dozen files were collected from the three offices based on individual cases, reports of meetings between high clergy and victims and exchanges of letters.
The Belgian church is also leading an investigation into the allegations.
The raids were the first in “Operation Chalice” since June 2010, when authorities seized hundreds of case files from a church and used power tools to open a prelate’s crypt in Mechelen’s St. Rumbold Cathedral seeking evidence. Pope Benedict XVI called the raids “deplorable” at the time.
That raid was declared excessive by a Belgian court and based on premises that were too vague. But the government said the investigation could continue if the inquiry respects legal rules.
The judicial official stressed that “the context was totally different this time around.”
In Hasselt, the files of four cases were taken, but church officials were allowed to take a copy first, said Clem Vande Broek, a spokesman for the Hasselt bishop’s office. He said two of the cases dated from over 40 years back while the suspects involved had already died and were already known to judicial authorities.
“The whole procedure was correctly dealt with,” said Vande Broek.
The judicial official said that copies were always allowed to be taken to allow the church to continue its own investigation.
The scandal has had a huge impact on the Belgian church and has highlighted the issue of sex abuse, which has undermined the church’s credibility in many western nations. Revelations of rape or other sexual abuse of minors by priests, and of cover-ups by bishops, piled up for months.
Belgium’s abuse scandal broke when Bruges bishop Roger Vangheluwe admitted to the sexual abuse of a nephew for 13 years, starting when the boy was 5. He acknowledged briefly abusing a second nephew too.