Vatican City, Jun 25, 2010 / 08:25 am
Authorities in search of information associated with cases of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels entered the archbishop's offices unannounced on Thursday morning. Elements of the search, which included examinations of tombs in the crypts of the cathedral, were decried by the Vatican on Friday.
The Vatican's Secretariat of State released a statement concerning the matter on Friday afternoon in which they included the full message from the Belgian bishops' spokesman, Eric de Beukelaer, and a note from the office itself.
The June 24 statement from De Beukalaer explains that while in a meeting at the archbishop's offices on Thursday morning, the bishops of Belgium were interrupted by judicial authorities and police effecting a search of the premises, following up on reports of sexual abuse in the archdiocese.
The spokesman reported that no other explanation was given as all documents and cellular phones were confiscated and no one was allowed to leave the building. The lockdown lasted from 10:30 a.m. Thursday until 7:30 p.m.