When Belgian Police Call

A Belgian Catholic Church commission monitoring complaints over sexual abuse of children by priests disbanded on Monday after police seized all its files and a computer in raids denounced by the Vatican. The unprecedented raids last week on the commission's office in Leuven and a Church centre and former archbishop's home in Mechelen prompted a sharp reaction from Pope Benedict, who called them "shocking and deplorable".

Government officials have defended the raids, which included drilling into cathedral tombs looking for hidden files, saying the Church had been too slow to investigate sexual abuse in its ranks. The raids upset and embarrassed the Belgian Church still reeling from the resignation of Bruges Bishop Roger Vangheluwe in April after admitting he had sexually abused a boy.

That prompted a wave of abuse complaints to the commission. "They have literally emptied us out and taken the ground from under our feet", said commission chairperson Peter Adriaenssens, who lost all 475 dossiers on abuse allegations. A statement from the commission said its "fundamental basis - the necessary trust between the justice authorities and the commission - has been shattered."

Commission members would quit on Thursday, leaving the bishops to decide what to do next.

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• belgian police
• church
• clergy abuse