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  2. Church Suspects Treated like Possible Criminals. Vatican Shocked.

Church Suspects Treated like Possible Criminals. Vatican Shocked.

By gregladen on June 27, 2010.

I'm not going to say anything about the methods the Belgian authorities have used, because I don't know anything about due process in that country. (Though I did notice that that Belgian police carry big machine guns, at least when I've been there.)

Anyway, the Vatican has it's shorts in a twist because civilian police have, apparently, treated church property and priests as non-sacred.

Police in Leuven seized nearly 500 files and a computer from the offices of a Church commission investigating allegations of sex abuse.

They also searched the Church's headquarters, the Brussels archdiocese in Mechelen, north of the Belgian capital.

Prosecutors have said the raids were over alleged "abuse of minors committed by a certain number of Church figures".

On Friday, the Vatican voiced "astonishment" at how the raids have been carried out, saying police had drilled holes in two archbishops' tombs.

Drilled holes in tombs? Preposterous!!! Unless, of course there was some reason to distrust the church people. Which is, of course, a distinct possibility.

The story is here.

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Thee dost protest too much!

Feeling some fear due to guilt there, huh, church-people?

By NewEnglandBob (not verified) on 27 Jun 2010 #permalink

Just a minute...why is the Vatican protesting the raid on a Belgian diocese's premises? I thought the Vatican is claiming that each diocese is an independent entity with no managerial and financial relationships with the Vatican.

Could it be that they're lying in their attempt not to be included as defendants in a current child abuse lawsuit? Say it ain't so!!

(Though I did notice that that Belgian police carry big machine guns, at least when I've been there.)

Correlation is not causality.

By Virgil Samms (not verified) on 27 Jun 2010 #permalink

This is a big f***ing deal. I don't claim to know what's going on, but this is a big f***ing deal - the average speed of papal diplomacy can be charitably described as "glacial". In my opinion, this fast and foaming reaction by the Vatican shows they're really, really scared of what might come out during this investigation.

By Phillip IV (not verified) on 27 Jun 2010 #permalink

It seems that the Belgian police have been quite agressive in their investigation.
Which is entirely appropriate when dealing with an organisation with a well documented history of concealing just this sort of crime.