Netherlands- Another Dutch Bishop found guilty of abusing minors

For immediate release: Friday, April 25, 2014

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])

A commission investigating the sexual abuse scandal in the Dutch Catholic Church have confirmed that a second bishop is guilty of abusing children. We are grateful for this revelation, but worried this wasn’t revealed when it was first confirmed. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/25/us-catholic-abuse-netherlands-idUSBREA3O1SA20140425

Johannes Nienhaus, who died in 2000, was the auxiliary bishop from 1982 to 1999  in the archdiocese of Utrecht. The commission confirmed that Nienhaus abused minors two years ago, yet church officials only made it public this week.

We are disappointed that yet again Catholic officials are not open and honest about clergy sex crimes. They show time and time again their callousness and willingness to put their reputations before the safety of children and the healing of victims. 

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])


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