Independent inquiry for Netherlands
The Catholic bishops of the Netherlands have authorized an independent inquiry into sexual abuse of minors by clerics there.
The Dutch Catholic bishops have called upon a former government minister to head an independent commission investigating sex-abuse complaints. Citing more than 200 reports of abuse filed with a victims’ group, the bishops asked Wim Deetman, a former mayor of The Hage, to lead the inquiry.
“The number of reports of abuse in former Catholic educational establishments requires further investigation,” the bishops said. “Bishops and religious workers offer their deep-felt sympathy and apologies to those who were victims of abuse in Catholic boarding schools.”
