Circumstances surrounding an elderly nun who died under suspicious circumstances at a convent in 1993 could lead to charges against Denmark’s Catholic bishop.
Two former nuns went to the police last week about their late colleague, who suffered from dementia and who they say was regularly mistreated.
The two nuns claimed that in one instance the older woman had been tied to a chair and locked in her room while residing at Maria Hjerte Abbedi convent in northeast Jutland.
The elderly nun reportedly died after being locked in the nunnery’s garden on a cold morning after disturbing morning prayers.
According to the two former nuns, they were instructed by the mother superior to say nothing to authorities about the events leading up to the death.The accusations had previously been made public by a former nun, Helene Hägglund, when she wrote about the abuse of power going on at the convent in her book, released last year.
But according to Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper, Bishop Czeslaw Kozon had received information regarding the situation by 2001 through letters sent by four different convent members.
Kozon reportedly sent the complaints on to the Vatican at that time.
But on Thursday, Kozon said he would instruct the Vatican to investigate the now 17-year-old death.
The Catholic Church in Denmark has been facing numerous other allegations of sexual misconduct by its priests, brought to light over the past few months
After a petition from the Danish People’s Party, justice minister Lars Barfoed said his office would look into the case.
SIC: TCP