Second Old-Catholic priest suspended on child sex abuse charges

The Old Catholic Bishop of Haarlem Dirk-Jan Schoon suspended another priest on child sex abuse charges. This priest has been retired for 13 years, but is still involved in celebrations in the Amsterdam parish and was used in emergencies, NOS reports.

Last week the Old Catholic Church suspended another priest, Nico S., after he was arrested in Cambodia. The Cambodian authorities found a large number of nude photos of boys under the age of 15 in his possession. It is believed he paid the boys to pose naked for him. After his arrest the Church admitted that they knew about S.'s sexual preferences for young boys.

After that arrest a 58-year-old social worker from Amsterdam told the Volkskrant that he was abused by another Old Catholic Church priest in 1973. The priest took nude photos of the then boy and made him perform sexual acts. The victim reported this to the church and an independent complaints committee in 2014. The complaint was ruled well-grounded, but the priest was not suspended. He was only banned from working with young people.

The victim was not satisfied by that measure, but according to him, Bishop Schoon convinced him not to start a legal procedure. The Church denies this. But the bishop acknowledges that more should have been done with the victim's complaint and therefore decided to suspend the priest after all.

The Old Catholic Church calls on any other victims to come forward.