Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Church opens independent investigation into abuse charges

The Catholic Church in Denmark has asked a special investigator to look into whether it tried to cover up allegations of sexual abuse.

The investigation will be based on the findings of a special legal commission set up by the church and carried out by lawyer Lars Kjeldsen.

According to the commission, Kjeldsen will be tasked with investigating whether there was an attempt to ‘hush up or prevent the resolution of cases connected to the sexual abuse of children and young people carried out by priests and other employees of the Catholic Church in Denmark’.

Church spokesman Rev Niels Engelbrecht, who helped to set up the commission, told public broadcaster DR, that he hoped that the investigation will clear the Catholic Church of accusations of a cover up and provide the church with valuable lessons for the future.

The commission underscored that the church will have no influence on the findings of the investigation.

Independently of the legal investigation, the Danish police are currently looking into as many as 30 cases of abuse by members of the Catholic Church in Denmark.

Most of these cases were reported by the church to the police.

About 20 people have come forward to report some form of abuse.

Engelbrecht said the police expected their investigation to be completed in the next few weeks.

Even though many of the cases are too old to be charged, the statute of limitations will not apply to the independent investigation.

SIC: TCP