Read Belgium Report on Catholic priest abuse crimes in English, Thomas James Investigates

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"The statute of limitations applicable in Belgium relating to child sex abuse allegations means that none of the alleged crimes contained in the report can now be tried in a court of law.

"I have translated two long excerpts from these from the Adriaenssens report. I have included them here because I was shocked by them myself and because in reading these I felt that I gained a sense of the true horror of child sex abuse. It is in reading these accounts that I realised the importance of confronting the church with its past and its attempts to protect priests and hide their crimes.

"Another country, another investigation, another cover-up by the Catholic church. The Adriaenssens report, released the beginning of September has focused attention on child sex abuse in Belgian diocese from the 1960s to the 1990s. One hundred statements from people who had suffered child abuse at the hands of Catholic priests were published in the report and excerpts from these were subsequently republished in the major press outlets of the country. Intimate and detailed, these accounts give a heart-rendering insight into the reality and consequences of pedophilia and demand that the church be held accountability for its policy of silencing its victims and defending its priests, both in Belgium and further afield."

Read it in full at Thomas James Investigates Open Wounds of the Catholic Church on Word Press