Dutch Catholic 'abuse' uncovered

Friday, December 16, 2011

Tens of thousands of children have been victims of sexual abuse by the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands since 1945, an independent commission said today, criticising what it called the church's cover-up and culture of silence.

Church leaders said the findings filled them with shame and sorrow and offered a "heartfelt apology", saying not only the perpetrators were to blame, but church authorities too.

The commission estimated that 10,000 to 20,000 minors were sexually abused in Catholic orphanages, boarding schools and seminaries between 1945 and 1981, with offences ranging from very mild to serious, including rape. the rest