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	Belgian Church Will Pay Victims of Sexual Abuse By Stephen Castle New York Times May 30, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/world/europe/31iht-belgium31.html?_r=1 After a tumultuous year following the resignation of a Roman Catholic bishop who admitted sexually abusing children, the church in Belgium bowed to pressure on Monday and agreed in principle to compensate some of the hundreds who claim that they were also victims of clerics. The church had previously promised to engage with those who suffered abuse but had not recognized the need to pay financial compensation, despite the harrowing testimony of many of the accusers. A report by a commission set up by the church said last year that 13 people were believed to have committed suicide as a result of sexual abuse by clerics. In a statement, the Belgian bishops and religious superiors said they now wanted to "help victims restore their dignity and, according to their needs, provide financial help." The bishops were responding to a report from a parliamentary commission in March that called for the creation of panel to adjudicate compensation claims for those who say they were abused by clergy. Lieve Halsberghe, who represents the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, criticized the fact that the church was expected to be represented on the adjudication panel. "They can't be the accused and the judge at the same time," she said. "It's good that they are willing to pay," Ms. Halsberghe said, "but far more important than money is the truth, and so far we haven't had the truth in Belgium. I will never believe a bishop until I see what he is doing, because the words are meaningless." Walter Van Steenbrugge, a lawyer representing victims, questioned the timing of the church's announcement, coming two days before the expected announcement of a lawsuit in Ghent, Belgium, against the church authorities in Belgium and the Vatican. "We are glad that they are opening the situation to providing money for damages," he said, "but it is very strange that they make the announcement 48 hours before we had scheduled a press conference." With the church's endorsement, a system will be put in place to deal with cases that have passed the 10-year statute of limitations in Belgium. By far the majority of the hundreds who have come forward fall into this category, with many of the incidents dating back decades. The Roman Catholic Church in Belgium has been in turmoil since Roger Vangheluwe resigned in April 2010 as bishop of Bruges, admitting that he had abused a boy. It subsequently emerged that the boy was a nephew. In a television interview last month, he played down the seriousness of the 13 years of abuse, saying it had not been opposed by the boy, and he admitted abusing a second nephew. The bishops' statement appeared to recognize the depth of the criticism directed at a church hierarchy for its failure to grasp the extent of public anger at the disclosures. "The bishops and religious leaders are unanimous and steadfast to do all possible to make sure such serious facts, which society rightly deplores, never happen again," it said. Johan Bonny, the bishop of Antwerp, said the precise details of the composition of the adjudication panels had not been worked out. "Resolving all these questions is impossible," he said. "We can only do what we can do, and for those claiming the maximum, it will never be enough. What we can do is a symbolic gesture which can help in the more dramatic cases." "One thing has been realizing the depth of the problem, the other thing is finding a way to deal with the problem that is acceptable and sustained by civil society," Bishop Bonny said. "The main message of today is that we are ready to work in line with the parliamentary commission and find a way of dealing with these questions that complies with their recommendations."
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