Belgium Catholic Church vows to compensate abuse victims

Belgium’s Roman Catholic Church vowed yesterday to compensate the victims of paedophile priests as lawsuit threats loom after a child abuse scandal that has rocked the Church for more than a year.

Accused for months of showing little compassion for the victims, the bishops and heads of religious orders deplored the abuses that were documented last year by a Church-backed commission, which revealed nearly 500 cases involving Church workers that took place over several decades, resulting in 13 suicides.

“Recognising their moral responsibility and the expectations of society, the bishops and religious leaders pledge to ensure recognition of the victims and adopt measures to heal their suffering,” the Church said in a statement.

“They are determined to bring dignity back to the victims and provide financial compensation according to their needs,” it said, denouncing the “trauma and suffering” caused by abusive priests.

The Church is following recommendations from a special parliament committee on priest abuse, which called in March for the creation of an arbitration panel that would decide compensation for victims in prescribed cases.

Karine Lalieux, a socialist lawmaker who chaired the committee, said the announcement marked a “change in tone” from the Church as well as “an important day for the victims who finally get recognition.”

Some 80 abuse victims are already mounting a class-action lawsuit against the Belgian Church and the Vatican, accusing religious authorities of negligence by turning a blind eye to the crimes committed by predator priests.

In the US, lawsuits brought by abuse victims caused some dioceses to declare bankruptcy following million-dollar settlements.

A lawyer for the Belgian victims, Walter Van Steenbrugge, is holding a press conference on Wednesday to present his case against the Vatican and the Belgian Church.