Belgium, April 04: Belgium’s top Roman Catholic bishop has denounced the “guilty silence” of church officials in the pedophile priest scandal that has rocked much of Europe and the US.
Archbishop of Brussels, Andre Joseph Leonard, has criticized the church for often worrying more about the reputation of priests and “savagely exploiting the abused children.”
Leonard’s comments come as Pope Benedict the sixteenth himself faced allegations that when he was archbishop of Munich, he helped to protect predator priests.
Leonard says the Pope’s recent letter to Ireland’s Catholics is an example of what must be done.
The letter has expressed shame and remorse for what has been done to the victims.
——–Agencies