Amsterdam News.net
June 25, 2010
http://www.amsterdamnews.net/story/651684
Belgium's Roman Catholic bishops have expressed anger and disappointment over a police raid concerning alleged sexual abuse.
According to insiders, police confiscated files from the Church's headquarters and the home of the former archbishop of Belgium.
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Recent abuse claims in the country have led to the resignation of the Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, who admitted to dealing with a boy more than 20 years ago.
On Thursday the police carried out a series of operations into allegations of abuse committed by priests, raiding the Church's headquarters.
The Palace of the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, was totally sealed off as officers searched for material.
The home of the recently retired archbishop of Belgium, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, was also raided, with police seizing paperwork and the archbishop's computer.
Nearly 500 dossiers were taken from the offices of the Church commission, which investigates abuse complaints made directly to Catholic Church officials.
While Catholic Church officials in Belgium have said they will co-operate with the investigation, they have expressed regret at the way in which it has been handled, especially in relation to the confiscation of privileged documents.
People within the Church, including doctors and psychiatrists, who were charged with keeping contact with parishioners, have complained the police took papers detailing private matters without telling them the focus of their investigation.
Prosecutors have since said the object of the search was to gather evidence about alleged abuse by a number of people within the Church.
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