At least three children in a Dutch boarding school run by Roman Catholic priests were sexually abused in the 1960 and 70s, research by Radio Netherlands Worldwide and daily NRC Handelsblad has shown.
The school was attached to the Don Rua monastry of the Salesians of Don Bosco in the eastern town of 's-Heerenberg. The clerics may have assaulted more children. Members of the order confirmed that the problem was discussed internally, but was never subjected to a thorough investigation.
The school's population consisted of about a hundred boys aged between twelve and eighteen. A former pupil said it was common knowledge at the school that certain priests abused boys. One case has been confirmed in which a priest from the Don Rua school sexually abused a child outside the monastry.
Bishop of Rotterdam
The current Bishop of Rotterdam, Ad van Luyn, was teaching at the Don Rua school at the time of the abuse. He refused to comment on whether he was aware what was going on. Two years ago the chairman of a sexual abuse hotline resigned because he felt the church was not taking complaints about abuse seriously.
Salesian and other priests are under scrutiny in Germany too, where a sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic church keeps expanding.
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Read more: Dutch Roman Catholic church facing child sex scandal
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"Salesian and other priests are under scrutiny in Germany too, where a sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic church keeps expanding.".......It keeps expanding because the Catholic Church continues to give Communion to it's priests and to men and women who continously live and practise homosexuality and pedophilia. When you do have a priest who will not give Communion to person who refuses to see and believe that his gay lifestyle is wrong, the entire Gay community comes out and protests the against priest for his Christian beliefs; but, when the priests who practise homosexuality and pedophilia are caught, one does not hear the Gay community defending the children who are sexually molested OR protesting against those priests who sexually abused. I wonder why! The Catholic Church has turned itself away from the teachings of Christ and it did it by indirectly refusing to admit it's sins and giving Communion to priests and homosexuals. The Catholic Church is a den of homosexuality and pedophilia.
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