Belgium church abuse 'led to 13 suicides'

Hundreds of sex abuse victims gave harrowing accounts of abuse by Catholic priests that reportedly led to at least 13 suicides, an independent Belgian commission said today.

Professor Peter Adriaenssens, chairman of the commission, said the abuse may have been even more extensive than the 200-page report suggests, because his panel’s work was interrupted and all its files seized in a June raid by Belgian judicial authorities who are conducting their own probe.