The Roman Catholic church in the Netherlands is to launch an investigation into allegations of child sex abuse by priests at a boarding school.

This follows an investigation by Radio Netherlands Worldwide and Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad which brought the accusations to light. 

The Bishop of Rotterdam Ad van Luyn has expressed shock at the claims that priests at the boarding school in the eastern town of ‘s-Heerenberg had abused children and has called for the investigation.

During the 1960s and 1970s at least three and possibly more pupils were sexually abused at the school attached to the Don Rua monastery of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Bishop Van Luyn, who now chairs the Netherlands Synod of Bishops, was provincial head of the Salesian order at the time of the abuse, and a teacher at the school. He gave his first response to the scandal in a radio interview at the weekend, having previously declined to comment except to deny any knowledge of the abuse.

The bishop described sexual abuse as “a violation of dignity and integrity”, in this case exacerbated by the fact that it took place in an educational setting. He called for a thorough investigation, not only of this case but also at a wider level. He has put the matter on the agenda of the Conference of Bishops on 9 March.

The bishop’s call for a wide-reaching investigation has been echoed by the current head of the Salesians, Herman Spronck, De Volkskrant newspaper reports. Father Spronck has offered his apologies to anyone who may have suffered abuse within a Salesian institution. He said he would like to see an investigation that includes all organisations in which either girls or boys lived among priests or in a religious setting.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide