EAST TIMOR-NETHERLANDS Dili, accusations of pedophilia against bishop and Nobel laureate Msgr. Belo

In a complaint to a Dutch weekly, two men – who were minors at the time of the events – pointed to the prelate for the sexual abuse they would have suffered in the 1990s. In November 2002, Bishop Ximenes Belo, then 54 years old, suddenly left the leadership of the diocese and the country for health reasons. The nunciature in East Timor declared that the journalistic investigation is being examined by the competent dicasteries in the Vatican.

Dili () – The Dutch weekly De Groene Amsterdammer yesterday published an investigation in which two men – who were minors at the time of the events – accuse Mons. Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. He is the former Bishop of Dili, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his commitment to ending the war that led to East Timor’s independence from Indonesia. Monsignor Belo – today 74 years old, a Salesian, Bishop of Dili since 1989 – suddenly left the leadership of the local Church in November 2002, alleging health reasons. He also left East Timor: he spent several years on a mission in Mozambique and currently lives in Portugal.

The accusations spread by the Dutch newspaper refer to events that would have occurred in the 1990s. De Groene Amsterdammer He affirms that the two victims – who are now over 40 years old – also knew other people who had suffered abuse, but only now mustered the courage to make a complaint. They also comment that the prelate would have paid them sums of money to keep them silent. The newspaper says that it was able to collect the testimony of around twenty people in East Timor who were aware of the events.

the portuguese news agency Lusa The apostolic nunciature in Dili was contacted to ask questions about the complaint, but they did not want to comment on the matter. She stated that the content of the journalistic investigation and the testimonies are being examined by the competent Vatican departments.

At the time of his resignation, Monsignor Ximenes Belo issued a statement in which he referred to his health problems and the need for a long recovery period: “I feel exhausted, both physically and psychologically,” he wrote, “and therefore So I need a long period of rest to fully recover my health.

The motivation for the Nobel Peace Prize – which was awarded to him in 1996 together with the current president of East Timor, José Ramos-Horta – mentions that the prelate openly denounced the Indonesian occupation despite the threats he suffered, and that he worked intensely to promote nonviolent resistance.