Late founder of Aid to the Church in Need accused of sex abuse - CathNews New Zealand

Late founder of Aid to the Church in Need accused of sex abuse

Monday, February 15th, 2021

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the international organization that supports persecuted Christians around the world, has confirmed that a decade ago it received a “credible” allegation of “aggravated sexual assault” against its founder, Father Werenfried van Straaten.

The Dutch-born priest founded ACN in 1947 and was its leader until his death in 2003 at age 90.

The religious supplement of the German daily Die Welt revealed the accusations against van Straaten after it obtained a copy of a denunciation letter that was sent to ACN in 2010.

In the letter, Father van Straaten is accused of the attempted rape of a 20-year-old ACN female employee in 1973.

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News category: News Shorts, World.

Tags: Aid to the Church in Need, Clergy sexual abuse, Father Werenfried van Straaten

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