Netherlands Finds 1,975 Cases of Catholic Sex Abuse

Almost 2,000 Netherlanders have come forward as victims of sex abuse at the hands of Catholic priests, an independent commission's report revealed today. That makes the Netherlands the second-biggest victim of Catholic sexual abuse, behind only Ireland, according to Reuters. The report also concluded that the Church had not done enough to help abuse victims, and urged it to set up a system to compensate them.

“I am very respectful of the people who came forward because declaring yourself a victim is a big step,” said the former education minister who headed the commission. He said it was “too soon to say” if the report would lead to a shake-up in the church hierarchy. “But the bishops conference has asked us to look at managerial responsibilities." (More Catholic Church sex scandals stories.)