A BELGIAN Catholic Church-backed commission probing hundreds of reported cases of child abuse by priests announced its resignation en masse yesterday, after police raids on its offices that angered the Pope.

THE Vatican yesterday protested to Belgium over raids carried out on Church offices and the home of a cardinal by investigators looking into sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests.

THE bishop of the Flemish city of Bruges has resigned after admitting sexually abusing a young boy several years ago, the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium announced yesterday.