The Vatican announced Thursday that it had imposed disciplinary sanctions on East Timorese Bishop Ximenes Belo for the past two years, following allegations that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate sexually abused minors in his country in the 1990s.
In a statement, the Vatican spokesman said the cabinet that handles sexual abuse cases received complaints “about the behavior of the bishop” in 2019 and within a year imposed sanctions.
These sanctions include limits on the bishop’s movements and the exercise of his ministry, as well as the prohibition of voluntary contact with minors or with Timor-Leste.
These measures were “modified and strengthened” in November 2021 and on both occasions Ximenes Belo formally accepted the punishment, spokesperson Matteo Bruni added in the statement.
The Dutch newspaper De Groene Amsterdammer published this Wednesday testimonies of alleged victims of sexual abuse when they were minors, crimes that are believed to have been committed for several years by the bishop, former apostolic administrator of Dili and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
In its online edition, the newspaper explains that it has received news of several victims and 20 people with knowledge of the case, including “individuals, members of the Government, politicians, employees of civil society organizations and elements of the Church.”
“More than half of people know a victim of abuse personally and others know about the case. De Groene Amsterdammer spoke with other victims who refused to tell their story in the media,” says journalist Tjirske Lingsma.
The newspaper explains that the first investigations into this alleged abuse date back to 2002, when an East Timorese reported that his brother had been abused.
In November of that year, Ximenes Belo announced his resignation from the post, alleging health problems and the need for a long recovery period.
“I suffer from mental and physical exhaustion, which requires a long period of recovery,” said Ximenes Belo, in a statement in which he reported that he had written to the Holy See requesting the resignation of the position of apostolic administrator of Dili, a position he had held since 1983. .
“I have been suffering from exhaustion, physical and psychological fatigue, so I need a long period of rest to fully recover my health,” said the statement, quoted by Lusa at the time.
Ximenes Belo, now 74, explained that his request – written on the basis of canon 401 of the code of canon law – was accepted by then-Pope John Paul II.
On Wednesday, the Vatican representative in East Timor told the Lusa news agency that the case was before the competent bodies of the Holy See, without confirming whether the prelate was investigated or not.
“Personally, I cannot confirm or deny it because it is a matter of seriousness on my part, since the competence belongs to my superiors in the Holy See,” Marco Sprizzi, the Vatican’s representative in East Timor, told Lusa.
“This issue should be addressed directly to the Holy See,” he said, asked about the veracity of the reports of alleged abuse of minors committed over several years by Ximenes Belo, currently a resident of Portugal, which were published by the Dutch newspaper.
Source: TSF
