BBC News
June 28, 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10432827.stm
The head of the Belgian Church-backed commission investigating cases of clerical sexual abuse has resigned.
Peter Adriaenssens said he was quitting and that the commission "had been used as bait", according to reports in the Belgian press.
After meeting on Monday, members of the commission have said they will step down on Thursday, Belgian reports say.
The commission's case files were seized by police in last week's raids on Catholic Church offices.
Mr Adriaenssens's computer was also taken.
He expressed concern at what could have motivated the authorities.
"They could only act in that way with the sentiment that we were in the wrong or that we were trying to conceal the cases. This while I made a point of working in complete transparency," he is quoted as saying in the Belgian press.
'Shocked'
After all of the commission's 475 case files were seized last Thursday, Mr Adriaenssens, who is a child psychologist, expressed concern for the alleged victims of abuse he has been dealing with.
| Mr Adriaenssens expressed shock over the raids |
"I'm mostly shocked for all these people who gave us their trust. And up until [Wednesday] evening, if they'd asked me is it possible that they [the police] would arrive [at his offices] and take everything away, just take everything away, I would have reassured them [that this would not happen].
"We received e-mails, telephone calls in the past few hours from people who are panicking about what will happen with their private details. Will their parents find out? Will they read their story in the newspapers? Will their spouse, who wasn't really aware, now find out via the media or the justice department?"
Several buildings were searched in Thursday's raids at Church offices, at the home of a retired archbishop and at the graves of two prelates.
Belgium's justice minister responded to the criticism robustly, saying normal procedures were followed.
The Belgian Church was shaken in April when the Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, resigned and admitted to sexual abuse before and after becoming a bishop.
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