Vatican Expresses Shock over Raids in Belgium

(June 26, 2010) The Vatican is expressing "shock" over a series of raids on Church offices in Belgium, which went so far as to drill holes in the graves of two former cardinals looking for secret documents regarding child sexual abuse. The police arrived at 10:30 Thursday morning to the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Malines-Brussels, where the bishops of Belgium were meeting for their monthly meeting. The authorities detained the bishops at the headquarters for nine hours as they searched the offices and the Cathedral of Mechelen. They confiscated the mobile phones and did not permit anyone to leave the premises till 7.30 pm. At that time they drilled holes in two graves located in the crypt of the cathedral, and then sent cameras down in search of hidden documents. In addition to the headquarters of the archbishopric of Brussels, the authorities seized some 500 confidential files in Leuven, Belgium, from the office of Peter Adriaensses, president of the commission for the treatment of sexual abuses. The home of former archbishop of Brussels, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, was also searched. In a statement released Friday, the Vatican noted its "intense shock" over the incident, and noted its 'indignation over the fact that there even was violation of the tombs of the very eminent cardinals Jozef Ernest Van Roey and Leon Joseph Suenens, deceased archbishops of Malines-Brussels." This violates the confidentiality of the victims for whom the investigations were done, added the note. All were questioned, the note continued, both the members of the Episcopal conference as well as staff members.