Press TV
May 21, 2011
http://www.presstv.com/detail/180938.html
 |
| The Roman Catholic Church has been mired in child sex abuse scandals in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and the United States (file photo). |
The head of a Catholic religious order in the Netherlands has revealed that one of his subordinate priests served in an organization infamous for backing pedophilia.
Herman Spronck, the head of the Dutch arm of the Salesian order, said on Friday that one of his assistant priests worked for the "Martijn" organization, which has been assailed for its campaign to legalize child abuse, the Associated Press reported.
"Of course we reject this and distance ourselves from this personal initiative," Spronck said in a statement.
"Membership in such organizations does not fit with the ethos of the Salesian order."
Reports say the 73-year-old priest, identified as "Father Van B.," served on Martijn's board from 2008 until 2010, when the organization's founder was arrested for alleged possession of child pornography.
The revelation comes amid ongoing investigations into allegations of sexual abuse involving Salesian priests in the Netherlands.
An independent, but Church-funded, commission headed by a former government minister, Wim Deetman, is responsible for investigations into child abuse cases in the country.
In 2010, the Vatican was plagued by sex abuse scandals which surfaced in Catholic institutions across France, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland and the United States.
Following the shocking revelations, the head of the church, Pope Benedict XVI, personally came under fire for ignoring the abuse cases and building a "wall of silence" around such issues.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.