Three Priests Accused of Sexual Violations, Iceland Review, October 28, 2010

Three Priests Accused of Sexual Violations

Iceland Review
October 28, 2010

http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16568&ew_0_a_id=369512

Inside an Icelandic church. The photo is not related to the story.
Photo by Páll Stefánsson

The professional council of the National Church is currently looking into three new cases where its priests are accused of sexual violations. None of them have been reported to the council before. All of these cases are old and have become legally invalid.

Only one of the priests in question is still working within the National Church. One has retired and the third is deceased. In the case of the retired priest, the claimant was a child when the alleged violations took place. The other two claimants are adults, Fréttabladid reports.

Gunnar Rúnar Matthíasson, chairman of the National Church's professional council, said the three cases are being reviewed and the council is assisting the three claimants in taking these cases through the appropriate procedures.

"I don't know what will happen with these cases," Matthíasson said. "It depends on the persons who come to us and what they want to do about it."

Nothing has been undertaken in regard to the priest who is still working for the National Church and Matthíasson said it is not the council's purpose to intervene.

"Some cases are of the nature that they call for intervention and others aren't," Matthíasson explained. "I doubt that this case calls for the priest in question being expelled."

Matthíasson said if these cases end up before the police or the complaints board it is their decision whether further action will be taken. It is in the hands of the claimants whether they want to make these cases public or not, he added.