Belgian court approves investigation of Church sex-abuse files

August 13, 2010

Setting aside a complaint from the Belgian bishops’ conference, a court in Brussels has authorized a government investigator to continue his probe into sex-abuse complaints involving Catholic priests. The investigation will include a thorough study of the files that were seized by police during a June 24 raid on the offices of the Belgian bishops and of an independent commission that the bishops had set up to conduct its own investigation into sex-abuse complaints. The Belgian bishops had complained that the police raid was needlessly intrusive, and had violated the confidentiality of the documents held by the independent commission.

 

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Further information:

• Court rules to allow Belgian clergy abuse inquires (AP)