Fugitive Canadian priest in Belgian custody

[grammafreddy]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2011/01/0 ... lgium.html

Fugitive Canadian priest in Belgian custody
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 5, 2011 | 7:48 PM ET
CBC News

A Canadian Catholic priest who is wanted on charges of sex crimes against children has been taken into custody by immigration authorities in Belgium, where he has been living for over 15 years.

Rev. Eric Dejaeger, 63, was detained this week because he has overstayed his legal residency in Belgium, an official from the Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry told CBC News on Wednesday.

Dejaeger is on Interpol's list of wanted fugitives based on an arrest warrant issued by the Nunavut Court of Justice in 2002.

He is currently wanted on six charges — three counts of indecent assault on a male and three counts of buggery — related to alleged incidents between 1978 and 1982 in Igloolik, a remote Arctic community in what is now Nunavut.

A Canadian citizen, Dejaeger has been living freely in Belgium since 1995, after he had served prison time in Canada for sex crimes against children in Baker Lake, another Nunavut community.

The Belgian government official, who did not want to be named, said Dejaeger had not applied for permanent residency in Belgium.

Dejaeger is currently in a detention centre for illegal residents. The government official said Dejaeger will likely be expelled from Belgium, but he could not say when that would happen.

May not be brought to Canada

"According to the law, he should be expelled. So I surely hope that the law will be followed and he will be sent back to Canada," said Lieve Halsberghe, who leads a Belgian network of church sex-abuse victims.

But Dejaeger could potentially be expelled to another country instead, depending on how he had entered Belgium in the first place, said Gary Botting, a B.C.-based lawyer who specializes in extradition issues.

"How did he enter Belgium? If he entered from France, for example, he could be deported back to France. If he entered through Holland, he could be deported back to Holland," Botting said.

Even if Belgium wants to expel him to Canada, Botting said Dejaeger could demand that he be formally extradited, which would be a more complicated process than simply expelling him.

Canadian justice officials have declined to comment on Dejaeger's case, maintaining that extradition requests are confidential.

But Belgian officials have said they are having informal talks with Canada about Dejaeger's possible extradition.

So, this loser did time for crimes against children in Baker Lake, then the church moved him to Igloolik, where he (supposedly) did it all over again, then fled the country to Belgium to hide.

I am disgusted at all Catholics and other religious followers who do not stand up and scream publicly about the horrific things their church leaders are doing and the way the Vatican hides them or moves them around to new places without telling the people the priest's history. To my way of thinking, they are as bad as the ones who are doing the crimes - sweeping it all under their collective rugs and burying their collective heads in the sand - hoping it will all go away. They are all hiding under the cloak of their churches (and it isn't just Catholics, either).

Why are all you people so silent on this topic? Why are you not publicly demanding changes within your churches to deal with these hideous offenders?

[1nick]

beats me gramma

[1nick]

the silence to this topic speaks volumes

[coffeeFreak]

My silence is mainly due to the powerlessness I feel about this issue, because regardless of the media coverage, restitution made, apologies given, these people continue to to thrive. I have soooooo many friends who were abused and assaulted by these dispicable perverts in residential schools; any comment inadequately expresses how I feel. Sorry GF but short of an act of castration and slow torture, throwing the scum into a prison's "general population", or homicide I can't comment.

[tryscotty]

Its a wonder how anyone would remain a catholic today. Think about it for a moment. I'm not talking to non religious people about it but to ones who claims to worship God, believe the Bible and go to a catholic church. The pope has also denied the Bibles creation acct.

Forbidding to marry according to the Bible is a teaching of demons. Yes thats in every Bible written. Moving scums,perverts around is criminal and now their not perfect leader denies the Bible. Does any sincere catholic really still feel theres is the true church? "Get out of her" is the Bibles warning.

Please keep above comments in mind, they are not directed to non catholics. Its true theres elements of perverts and molesters in other faiths, thats because mankind in general has that but its this ONE specific faith that far out shadows them all.

[1nick]

to all non-religious,you are not to re-ply to thee above
he's not speaking to you

[tryscotty]

to all non-religious,you are not to re-ply to thee above
he's not speaking to you

Funny. The purpose of me saying that is non religious people already don't believe in the things I mentioned. Feel free though. I would be interested in hearing anybodys comments related to my post. I mean seriously, a supposed religious God fearing person who claims belief in the Bible who would still want to be catholic is a mystery. And ps. Hitler was thankful for the vaticans support too. Question: how many people died because of the vatican then? Answer millions

[Meema]

Tryscotty:
google Sister Charlotte Kecklers story...I read the book by Win Worley "Escape from a Cloistered Convent"...it turned my stomach...I'm sure my blood pressure went up a little too!
Indeed there are perverts in all walks of life...but to do it in the name of God, that makes me sick! A bunch of depraved and sadistic perverts!

[grammafreddy]

Tryscotty:
google Sister Charlotte Kecklers story...I read the book by Win Worley "Escape from a Cloistered Convent"...it turned my stomach...I'm sure my blood pressure went up a little too!
Indeed there are perverts in all walks of life...but to do it in the name of God, that makes me sick! A bunch of depraved and sadistic perverts!

http://oldlandmark.wordpress.com/2007/07/04/25/

[steven lloyd]

Why are all you people so silent on this topic? Why are you not publicly demanding changes within your churches to deal with these hideous offenders?

Maybe there are no posters here who are from the Catholic congregation in Igloolik,
- a remote Arctic community in what is now Nunavut.

[grammafreddy]

Why are all you people so silent on this topic? Why are you not publicly demanding changes within your churches to deal with these hideous offenders?

Maybe there are no posters here who are from the Catholic congregation in Igloolik,
- a remote Arctic community in what is now Nunavut.

Oh. Right. Well, what about all the rest of the whole Catholic community anywhere?

But, of course, you knew I meant that, didn't you?

[steven lloyd]

But, of course, you knew I meant that, didn't you?

Well I wasn't quite sure, because by that reasoning if a teacher in New Brunswick was alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with a student it seems that by what you’re suggesting is we should have immediately shut down all public (and certainly religious) schools across the country and taken to the streets in organized protest. Am I with you so far on this ?

[grammafreddy]

But, of course, you knew I meant that, didn't you?

Well I wasn't quite sure, because by that reasoning if a teacher in New Brunswick was alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with a student it seems that by what you’re suggesting is we should have immediately shut down all public (and certainly religious) schools across the country and taken to the streets in organized protest. Am I with you so far on this ?

Nope - but we do tend to get a tad vocal about it. We don't close the school, but there is a hue and cry from the people whose kids attend that school, isn't there?

Same as when there's a sports figure who gets too cozy - we don't shut down the rink - but the parents and the public (and sports bodies) sure get hot under the collar, right? They do not hide it in a closet and hope nobody ever finds out about it, do they?

Sooooooooooooooooooo ............. when a religious person does the same, where's the people from that religion or that church calling for anything? They just keep sending their little darlings back in for more. Even when their kids try to tell them, they do not believe them and nothing is done, nothing and nobody from those churches (and religions) speaks out, nothing and nobody helps those kids - least of all their parents! And the churches just shift them off to a different location to carry on doing it all over again. And STILL those people say nothing! Why not? Why not demand those priests get punished, get defrocked and excommunicated and put in jail? Why do they protect them and allow it to happen over and over and over??? Why not take some kind of a public stand and a public demand for changes in their churches?

[Captain Awesome]

Anti-religion crusades are so 2010...

[grammafreddy]

Anti-religion crusades are so 2010...

Perhaps ... but they should have been so centuries ago. Brainwashing has hurt and killed a lot of kids.

But, hey, who cares about the kids, right? Certainly not these good religious folks, for sure. They'll cover their priests' *bleep* before they ever think about any kid or the wrongs and abuse heaped on them.