Both Catholic and Protestant Christian ranks have shrunk dramatically across Europe in recent decades, and hundreds of churches have been sold off to be turned into apartments, shops, bars or warehouses.

In the Netherlands, churches have been closing at a rate of one or two a week. The bishops told the pope in Rome on Monday that about two-thirds of all Roman Catholic churches in the Netherlands would have to be shut or sold by 2025, and many parishes merged, because congregations and finances were "in a long-term shrinking process".

Their five-yearly report blamed a "drastic secularization" of society, although a critical group of Dutch lay Catholics said the scandal of sexual abuse of minors by priests, which has afflicted many Catholic dioceses around the world, had also driven many people away, as had the closures themselves.

The only bright spot for the Dutch church was the finding that the election of the popular Pope Francis in March appeared to have slowed the exodus this year. Continue reading

Evidence of the castrations has emerged amid controversy that it was not included in the findings of an official investigation into sexual abuse within the church last year.

The NRC Handelsblad newspaper identified Henk Heithuis who was castrated in 1956, while a minor, after reporting priests to the police for abusing him in a Catholic boarding home.

Joep Dohmen, the investigative journalist who uncovered the Heithuis case, also found evidence of at least nine other castrations. "These cases are anonymous and can no longer be traced," he said. "There will be many more. But the question is whether those boys, now old men, will want to tell their story."

Mr Heithuis died in a car crash in 1958, two years after being castrated at the age of 20, while under the age of majority, which was then 21.

In 1956 he had accused Catholic clergy of sexually abusing him in his Church run care home.

Two clergymen were convicted of abuse but Mr Heithuis, a victim, was nonetheless transferred by police to a Catholic psychiatric hospital before being admitted to the St. Joseph Hospital in Veghel later that year.

There, court papers confirm, he was castrated "at his own request", despite no submission of his written consent. Sources told Mr Dohmen that the surgical removal of testicles was regarded as a treatment for homosexuality and also as a punishment for those who accused clergy of sexual abuse.

The Dutch Catholic Church is still reeling from a damning government inquiry into sex abuse.

Source

• ucanews.com
• NY Times
• Image: ucanews.com

The New Year is ushered in by Father Time, who derives from the Greek God Chronos, more commonly known as the Grim Reaper. A fitting moment, you might think, for the publication of the findings of Lord Falconer's Commission on Assisted Dying.

Hopelessly biased and distorted the Falconer Commission is stacked full of euthanasia sympathisers and was suggested by Dignity in Dying (formerly The Voluntary Euthanasia Society). Note the change in name, and never concede that, to die with dignity, you need a doctor to kill you.

The Funding for the Commission was provided by Bernard Lewis and Terry Pratchett, the latter a patron of Dignity in Dying. It is entirely wedded to introducing legalisation for assisted suicide for those who are terminally ill.

On 30 November 2010 it was revealed that nine of the twelve commissioners were well-known names in the pro-legalisation lobby. The remaining three are certainly not against euthanasia. The euthanasia lobby decided to take the 'independent' route because when two genuinely independent Parliamentary Select Committees carefully examined the issue they did not recommend a change of law.

When votes were then taken in the House of Lords it resulted in large defeats for their proposals (148-100 and 194-141). The last attempt at legalization in Scotland also resulted in a heavy defeat (85-16) for Margo Macdonald's Bill in 2010.

Over 50 organizations refused to give evidence to the Commission when they saw its composition. Instead, Dignity in Dying contacted its own members asking them to give evidence to the Commission. The British Medical Association (BMA) passed a five point resolution that undermined the Commission credibility by questioning its impartiality and independence. On the BBC's Sunday Programme the BBC commentator, Edward Stourton, laughed derisively at the suggestion that the group could be independent if it was so overwhelmingly full of those wanting change.

Continue reading Lord Alton's article on euthanasia in Independent Catholic News.

Image: ProLife NZ

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As reported in CathNews, Jan Peijnenburg, who has lived with his girlfriend for 46 years, was told he either had to separate from his girlfriend or leave the Catholic priesthood, was sent a letter at the weekend telling him he has been suspended because he refuses to leave his partner.

Peijnenburg is retired and only rarely fulfills church duties, so the suspension will have little effect, however Peijnenburg and his friends are now preparing legal action to find out 'if the rights of the church conflict with the rights of the citizen.'

Rik Torfts, a professor in religious rights, said Peijnenburg has little chance of success because freedom of religion laws have priority over the right to marriage.

Although other priests in Holland are known to live with partners, Peijnenburg was very open about his position and published pamphlets advocating an end to celibacy rules.

Diocesan spokesman, Michiel Savelsbergh commented last month on the case, saying, 'We cannot allow him to do that which is forbidden to others.'

Sources

• DutchNews.nl
• Image: Ditisdeorg

The Den Bosch diocese in the central Netherlands said Jan Peijnenburg's relationship with Threes van Dijck (85) was unacceptable to other priests.

"We are giving him the choice: either he leaves his partner or he leaves the priesthood," said diocese spokesperson Michiel Savelsbergh.

"We cannot allow him to do that which is forbidden to others."

But Peijnenburg told the daily newspaper AD, through a friend, that the Catholic Church had already known of his relationship for about a decade.

In a veiled admission of complicity, the diocese said it had given the ultimatum after a leaflet penned by Peijnenburg criticising priestly celibacy, which "confirmed what we knew".

"Other priests reacted and, as we had had a written confirmation, we couldn't leave things as they were," said Savelsbergh.

Peijnenburg has until December 1 to decide, however he has decided to stay with van Dijck.

Sources

• City Press International
• Image: Incaelo

Over the weekend, Spronck, known as the Delegate, said that sexual relationships between children and adults were not always damaging.

"Formally I always say that everyone must obey the law. But these relationships do not necessarily have to be damaging." Nieuws quoted Spronck as saying.

Spronck was commenting on another Salesian priest's committee membership in "Martijn", a Dutch pro-pedophilia group.

RTL quoted Spronck, Fr Van B.'s superior — as saying he was aware of repeated transgressions in Van B.'s past. However he didn't try to stop him from moving through three dioceses and six parishes in the Netherlands, often leaving under a cloud of suspicion, because he believed in the priest's promises to reform.

"Herman Spronck is no longer the delegate from the Salesian delegation in the Netherlands," his superior Rev. Jos Claes, leader of the Salesians in Belgium and the Netherlands, told RTL. "We fully distance ourselves from the words we find in your interview with Herman Spronck."

Fr Van B "can longer perform any pastoral duties as of today," he added.

The Salesian priest, simply known as Fr Van B, was a committee member of the "Martijn" association and also has two convictions for exposing himself to children. Although suspended from ministry, he worked as a "volunteer" helping prepare children for the first Holy Communion.

An independent commission investigating abuse cases dating back to 1945 has found that the Netherlands ranks worst behind only Ireland in a scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in Europe and the United States.

Sources

• DutchNews.nl
• Radio Netherlands
• Reuters
• Houston Chronicle
• Sun Sentinal