By Karen Stephenson
Suite 101
January 1, 2011
http://www.suite101.com/content/belgian-priest-confesses-sexual-abuse-a326613
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| Francois Houtart Admits Abuse |
A prominent priest who is a third world development activist recently admitted he sexually abused a minor 40 years ago.
The Daily Mail reported on December 29, 2010 that Belgian priest Francois Houtart, once dubbed the "Pope of anti-globalization" admitted to child abuse. This confession came after his cousin learned that he was being nominated for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize and she spoke out. His admission to inappropriate touching contradicts a statement made by his cousin accusing him of raping her brother.
Belgian Priest Confessed
Francois Houtart has admitted that forty years ago he sexually touched an eight year old boy. This confession came as a result of his cousin, the sister of the victim, came forward to speak against Houtart’s nomination campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In October 2010, after Francois Houtart supporters began working to nominate him for the Nobel accolade, a woman contacted the nonprofit organization Houtart founded (Cetri) and claimed the priest had abused her brother in 1970. Houtart resigned from the board of Cetri one month later. Cetri publishes reports critical of developed nations' actions in the Third World.
Houtart told Le Soir, a Belgian newspaper that he twice touched his cousin’s "intimate parts," an incident he called "inconsiderate and irresponsible."
In an e-mail to Cetri, the victim’s sister pointed out her testimony in the church report. In it, she details the sexual abuse of her brother as being rape. She states that the priest, who was a friend of her father, entered her brother’s room on two separate occasions in one evening to rape him. According to the Associated Press, her report stated, "Before the third time, my brother went to tell his parents, who kept him in their room."
There are currently no news reports that include a statement from the victim.
Francois Houtart
Francois Houtart was born in Brussels in 1925 and studied philosophy and theology at a Belgian seminary. He became a priest in 1949. He has earned a master’s degree in political and social sciences and PhD in sociology.
His doctoral thesis was based on sociology of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and he was a professor at UCL from 1958 until 1990. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications on socio-religious matters. He served as the chief editor of the International Journal of Sociology of Religion, Social Compass, from 1960 to 1999.
Houtart founded CETRI, (Centre Tricontinental), a Belgian non-governmental organization in 1976. The main objective of CETRI is to promote dialogue and corporation between third world social movements and social forces plus encourage resistance and action. Houtart is one of the most active members of the World Social Forum. He has been very active in the Globalization and Ethics discourse.
In 2009, Houtart was awarded the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. He shared the award with Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi.
Also in 2009, Houtart signed the Appeal for the removal of Hamas from the EU terror list.
Francois Houtart is currently in Ecuador.
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