A large majority of the Dutch public believes Roman Catholic Church
authorities covered up sexual abuse, a poll found today, revealing the
extent of the damage to the Church's reputation in the Netherlands.
An independent commission said on Thursday 1,975 people have declared
themselves victims of sexual and physical abuse while under the care of
the Church since 1945, ranking the Netherlands second worst behind
Ireland in a scandal that has rocked the Church in Europe and the United
States.
The Maurice de Hond poll showed 82% of respondents believe most
Church authorities knew about the problems, while 81% believe the pope
also knew.
Some 78% said they were 'extremely disappointed' by the abuses.
De Hond said the position of Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church authorities had been 'strongly affected' by the scandal.
The survey also found that 69% think the Church should no longer make
comments about how people should behave, but that percentage falls to
55% among Catholics.
Victims of abuse in the Netherlands want a full parliamentary inquiry
into the scandal and the poll showed 56% of the Dutch were in favour of
such an investigation.
Although the scandal has forced Pope Benedict to apologise to victims
of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests, the survey found that 88%,
or 75% among Catholics, believe the pope needs to more clearly offer his
apologies.
SIC: RTÉ/IE