After two years of investigation, the Calice Committee has delivered a solid report, despite the PTB's belated objection.
The “Calice” Committee of Inquiry presented its conclusions and recommendations to the committee on Tuesday concerning the failings linked to the judicial inquiry opened in 2010 into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
Under the chairmanship of federal MR MP Pierre Jadoul, the Committee carried out thorough work of hearings and analysis, drawing in particular on the report of the High Council of Justice. Magistrates, police officers, lawyers and political officials were heard in order to rigorously establish the facts and formulate concrete recommendations.
Victims were at the heart of the work, guiding the Committee's deliberations throughout the process.
“Our conclusions are the result of demanding and methodical work. We took the time needed to listen, analyse and understand. This report provides a solid basis for lastingly improving the functioning of our institutions,” stresses Pierre Jadoul.
While the work proceeded in a spirit of cooperation between political groups, the PTB, in the final phase, called into question several points that had nevertheless long been established.
For MR MPs Pierre Jadoul and Catherine Delcourt, this attitude is incomprehensible: “on such a serious subject, it is regrettable to see a political group attempt to undermine a thorough piece of work for political reasons. The most surprising thing about their attitude is that they vote in favour of all the recommendations but against the report as a whole. This is incomprehensible and sends a poor signal to the victims and damages the credibility of our institutions.”
Despite this distancing, the Committee intends to turn its recommendations into a concrete lever for strengthening the rule of law and restoring citizens' trust.