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	Dutch Investigate "50s Deaths at Catholic Institution Wall Street Journal August 16, 2011 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904253204576512131662694982.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Dutch authorities said Tuesday they were investigating possible murders at a Catholic institution for psychiatrically ill boys during the 1950s. A total of 34 children under the age of 18 died at St. Joseph's boys' school in Heel, in the south of the Netherlands, between the beginning of 1952 and the end of 1954. Annual enrollment in the institution at the time was around 60. The Catholic church in Western Europe has been rocked recently by findings of sexual abuse of minors. Churches, schools and institutions, especially in Ireland and Germany, have been scenes for many such crimes. But these possible murders, if found to be true, would form a unique case. The Dutch government-appointed commission investigating sexual abuse in the Catholic church, chaired by former education minister Wim Deetman, "noted and could not explain the high number of deaths," said Bert Kreemers, a spokesman for the commission, which has uncovered some 2,000 cases of abuse in the Netherlands since 1945. "So we turned it over to the judicial authorities." In a press statement Tuesday, the commission said that in May it had passed documents relating to the matter to Dutch public prosecutors. The prosecutor's office on Roermond said it launched an inquiry in late May that would end in a couple of months. While there is currently no statute of limitations for murder in the Netherlands, in the 1950s it was 18 years. That means that regardless of the commission's findings, no one will be formally prosecuted. "We must respect the rules as they were then," said Eugene Baak, a spokesman for the Roermond prosecutor's office. "However, we will publicize the facts of the case." Mr. Baak said some possible suspects are still alive. The release of any of those names could open the door for lawsuits. "There will be no criminal charge, but there can be civil suits," said Mr. Baak. Neither the commission nor the prosecutors gave further details on the institution or the children there. The commission said it would make no public statements on the matter until the prosecutor completes its inquiry. In the 1950s, the wave of deaths showed up in reports at the local diocese, labor inspectors and a Catholic child protection agency, the commission said in its release. Prosecutors were never alerted. "That is part of our investigation, to find out why nothing happened," said Mr. Baak. St. Joseph's remained under church control until 1969, which it was transferred to a state-run foundation. The elevated level of deaths ceased in 1955. The local diocese in Roermond said in a statement it was collaborating with the investigation. It said commenting on it was "for the public prosecutor and the commission." The foundation that now runs the facility, which is no longer named St. Joseph's, declined to comment. "These were very closed institutions with a lot of silence," said Bert Smeet, a 59-year-old rock musician who, via an organization called Mea Culpa, has become a spokesman for victims of sexual abuse by clergy in the Netherlands. Mr. Smeet, who says he was the victim of sexual abuse in a Catholic boarding school around 1960, said relatives and friends of victims would welcome the investigation. There is a precedent in the Netherlands for seeking financial compensation for abuse victims. The Dutch commission on sexual abuse has recommended that the church pay up to ˆ100,000 ($144,000) to each victim it has established during its tenure. The church hasn't yet announced whether it will do so. Write to John W. Miller at john.miller@dowjones.com
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