The former head of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands, Cardinal Ad Simonis, has apologised for his recent remark, in German, "Wir haben es nicht gewusst".
Speaking on television on Tuesday evening, Cardinal Simonis used the notorious German phrase to say Dutch church leaders had not known of any child sex abuse taking place between 1950 and 1980.
The cardinal says his remark has been misinterpreted. He says he feared a plain denial would prompt sneers and so used one himself to preempt them. On Tuesday, he had already added: "I know that is a very dangerous remark and a very loaded one, but it's true."
The expression was used by many Germans after World War II to deny having had any knowledge of the Holocaust.
Earlier on Friday, Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said the remark had been a serious blunder.
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Cardinal Simonis
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