Press TV
August 29 2010
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/140432.html
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| Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels |
The former head of the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium attempted to keep a sex abuse case against a bishop secret until he retired, reports say.
Roman Catholic Cardinal Godfried Danneels held a meeting with Bishop Roger Vangheluwe and the individual claiming to have been abused on April 8, advising the alleged victim to delay making a public statement.
The victim secretly recorded the meeting and sent the transcripts to Belgium's De Standaard newspaper.
"It might be better to wait for a date in the next year, when he is due to resign," the Cardinal is heard as having said on the tape, according to a BBC report.
"I don't know if there will be much to gain from making a lot of noise about this, neither for you nor for him," he is recorded as saying.
The report was confirmed by Danneels' spokesman on Saturday, who said that the Cardinal has no intention of covering up the meeting.
Two weeks after the meeting, Bishop Vangheluwe handed in his resignation and admitted to having abused the victim for a number of years.
Cardinal Danneels stepped down in January after three decades as Belgium's archbishop.
The Vatican is facing many allegations that its priests have sexually abused people -- especially in the US and Europe.
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