In his advent message, the bishop
of Roermond, Frans Wiertz, has tackled the recent revelations about
child sex abuse and the surrounding cover-up by Roman Catholic clerics
in the Netherlands.
Roermond is a city in Limburg in the south of the
Netherlands, traditionally a predominantly Catholic region.
“We as a church have been hurt by the abuse committed against
children and young people. It’s unbelievable that servants of the Church
failed in their duty to stand up for the defenceless,” he writes.
He
carries on to say that everything must be done to ensure that victims
obtain justice, be given attention and support, and that all such
criminal acts be prevented from taking place.
Bishop Wiertz’ advent message will be read to Catholic congregations in the Roermond area over the coming weeks.
SIC: RN/INT'L