The Dutch Catholic church has admitted a second bishop was guilty of abusing young boys, just days after going public with allegations against a first.
Jan Nienhaus, a former assistant bishop in the diocese of Utrecht and official bishop of Benda, carried out the abuse from the mid-1950s to early 1970s, the Volkskrant says on Friday. He died in 2000.
Claims against the bishop were investigated by the special committee set up by the Church to assess abuse claims. The committee knew the claims were substantiated two years ago but has only just gone public.
Silence
Earlier this month, the Church admitted that the former bishop of Roermond, Jo Gijsen, had abused at least two boys. He died last year.
‘The Church says it wants a clean slate and backs maximum honesty,’ said Guido Klabbers, of the abuse victim support group Klokk. ‘But every time they still hide it, especially if it involves a highly-placed individual.’
A Church report, published in 2011, concluded at least 800 Roman Catholic priests and monks were involved in abusing children in their care between 1945 and 1985.