{"id":2503,"date":"2025-02-05T14:35:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T13:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/opinie-blog\/dossier-seksueel-misbruik-in-de-kerk\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T12:47:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T11:47:02","slug":"sexual-abuse-case-in-the-church","status":"publish","type":"opinie-blog","link":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/opinie-blog\/sexual-abuse-case-in-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual abuse case in the church"},"content":{"rendered":"

Operation chalice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

January 2000<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Halsberghe commission<\/strong><\/p>\n

March 2010<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Adriaenssens commission<\/strong><\/p>\n

April 23, 2010<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The danneels tapes<\/strong> force the church into a public confession.<\/p>\n

June 4, 2010<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Priest devill\u00e9 reports more than 1,000 cases<\/strong> of sexual abuse to the federal judicial police.<\/p>\n

June 21, 2010<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Start of the judicial investigation \u201coperation chalice\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

June 24, 2010<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Raids at saint rumbold\u2019s cathedral<\/strong>, the archbishop\u2019s palace<\/strong>, and the residence and offices of cardinal danneels<\/strong> in mechelen. 931 boxes<\/strong> of documents are seized.<\/p>\n

September 9, 2010<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The chamber of indictment (KIB)<\/strong> rules to annul the seizures<\/strong> and declares the raids<\/strong> of june 24, 2010 invalid<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

October 12, 2010<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The court of cassation<\/strong> overturns the KIB ruling, arguing that the victims had been unlawfully excluded from the hearing.<\/p>\n

March 8, 2011<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The federal prosecutor\u2019s office<\/strong> decides to take over the investigation.<\/p>\n

December 18, 2012<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The chamber of indictment (KIB)<\/strong> orders that the seized evidence must be removed from the criminal file and stored at the court registry<\/strong>. The request of the archdiocese and the late cardinal danneels<\/strong> to have the documents returned to them is denied.<\/p>\n

March 20, 2014<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The chamber of indictment (KIB)<\/strong> decides to return the seized evidence<\/strong> to the archdiocese.<\/p>\n

The victims were not summoned and were not informed of this decision.<\/strong><\/p>\n

September 1, 2014<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The investigation is closed by the examining magistrate and transferred to the federal prosecutor\u2019s office for final prosecution requests<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

April 28, 2016<\/strong><\/h4>\n

First hearing before the brussels chamber of council<\/strong>, postponed due to requests from civil parties for further investigation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

October 23, 2020<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Victims regain access to the case file and discover that the 931 boxes of evidence were already returned to the archdiocese in march 2014<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

November 9, 2020<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Second hearing before the brussels chamber of council<\/strong>, where a procedural issue is identified.<\/p>\n

April 29, 2021<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The chamber of indictment (KIB)<\/strong> requests the federal prosecutor\u2019s office<\/strong> to draft a new final indictment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Civil claim against the holy see<\/strong><\/h3>\n

July 12, 2011<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Lawsuit against the holy see<\/strong>, the belgian bishops<\/strong>, and the higher superiors of religious orders and congregations<\/strong> for compensation<\/strong> for victims due to the church\u2019s cover-up policy.<\/p>\n

October 1, 2013<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The civil court of ghent<\/strong> rules that the holy see has immunity<\/strong> from prosecution in belgium.<\/p>\n

February 25, 2016<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The court of appeal of ghent<\/strong> upholds the 2013 ruling<\/strong>, confirming the holy see\u2019s immunity.<\/p>\n

February 2, 2017<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Victims file an appeal with the european court of human rights (ECHR)<\/strong> against belgium for violating their right to access justice (article 6, \u00a71 ECHR).<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 12, 2021<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The ECHR rules that the holy see is entitled to state immunity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

January 12, 2021<\/strong><\/h4>\n

VSA requests that the case be referred to the grand chamber of the ECHR<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

February 28, 2022<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The grand chamber<\/strong> rejects the request for reconsideration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vsa\u2019s fight relentlessly continues<\/strong> until justice is served for the victims.<\/p>\n

Once operation chalice<\/strong> ultimately fails due to the disappearance of all crucial evidence<\/strong>, VSA will take the case to the european court of human rights<\/strong> to hold belgian justice accountable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Also read: \u201coperation church\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this candid book, walter van steenbrugge<\/strong> speaks openly about the two most impactful cases of his career<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Operation chalice<\/strong> (the fight for victims of sexual abuse in the church<\/strong>).<\/li>\n
  2. The euthanasia trial<\/strong> (the legal battle for doctors who provided euthanasia to tine nys<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Both cases reveal hidden manipulations<\/strong> that influenced court proceedings. Van steenbrugge reconstructs the events and exposes how the church and the vatican have undermined the right to a fair trial<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Order a copy here<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    FAQ with walter van steenbrugge \u2013 \u201coperation church\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Do you have proof of the accusations in your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Absolutely! Every claim is supported by official documents<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Why did you write this book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Because society has the right to know<\/strong> about these major legal failures.<\/p>\n

    Are you afraid of backlash?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Justice doesn\u2019t like criticism\u2014but accountability is necessary.<\/p>\n

    Is this a revenge book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Not at all. The victims never even had a fair trial<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    What do you still expect from justice?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The case will go to the european court of human rights<\/strong> to hold belgium accountable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Will this book make you persona non grata in the legal world?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I hope not, but I will not stay silent in the face of injustice.<\/p>\n

    Does christine mussche support this book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Absolutely\u2014she has fought alongside me every step of the way.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    GODFORSAKEN \u2013 A documentary series<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Episode 1 \u2013 silence is golden<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Victims recount the abuse, the lifelong trauma, and the shame that silenced them.<\/p>\n

    Episode 2 \u2013 in the name of the father<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Families reveal their struggles and the guilt of having trusted the church.<\/p>\n

    Episode 3 \u2013 operation chalice<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The police raids, the danneels tapes<\/strong>, and the judicial chaos that followed.<\/p>\n

    Episode 4 \u2013 forever and ever<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Despite legal setbacks, victims continue their fight for justice<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Watch the full series here<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":981,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"auteur":[],"opinie-blog-categorie":[125],"class_list":["post-2503","opinie-blog","type-opinie-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","opinie-blog-categorie-human-rights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opinie-blog\/2503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opinie-blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/opinie-blog"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"auteur","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/auteur?post=2503"},{"taxonomy":"opinie-blog-categorie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vsadvocaten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opinie-blog-categorie?post=2503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}