Dutch Roman Catholic Church 'castrated at least 10 boys'

Dutch Roman Catholic Church 'castrated at least 10 boys'

At least 10 teenage boys or young men under the age of 21 were surgically castrated "to get rid of homosexuality" while in the care of the Dutch Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s.

Evidence of the castrations has emerged amid controversy that it was not included in the findings of an official investigation into sexual abuse within the church last year.

The NRC Handelsblad newspaper identified Henk Heithuis who was castrated in 1956, while a minor, after reporting priests to the police for abusing him in a Catholic boarding home.

Joep Dohmen, the investigative journalist who uncovered the Heithuis case, also found evidence of at least nine other castrations. "These cases are anonymous and can no longer be traced," he said. "There will be many more. But the question is whether those boys, now old men, will want to tell their story."

Two clergymen were convicted of abuse but Mr Heithuis, a victim, was nonetheless transferred by police to a Catholic psychiatric hospital before being admitted to the St. Joseph Hospital in Veghel later that year.

There, court papers confirm, he was castrated "at his own request", despite no submission of his written consent. Sources told Mr Dohmen that the surgical removal of testicles was regarded as a treatment for homosexuality and also as a punishment for those who accused clergy of sexual abuse.

Evidence emerged on Monday that government inspectors were aware that minors were being castrated while in Catholic-run psychiatric institutions.

Dutch MPs will today call for a parliamentary investigation into the allegations.

"I am shocked that boys were being castrated in the 1950s," said Khadija Arib, a Labour MP. "I want an independent investigation. We must find out how many cases there were, who knew about it and why the government did not act."

The Telegraph

I don't know what to make of this.

If it is true then it is truly monstrous.

reply to post by ollncasino


Religion, again.

Nothing ever surprises me when it comes to religion. It seems that 70% of the religious are hypocrites who use it to control others, 20% are truly psychotic maniacs who should never be trusted with children, and the remaining 10% are genuinely spiritual people who follow their hearts and believe in universal love and kindness.

That's why I will always say that all organized religion should be removed from public life. NO religion in government, no religion in medicine, no religion in state schools (unless you are educating children about the fundamentals and histories of spirituality and religion, not the teachings of a specific doctrine).

People can believe what they want, but religious organizations should be taxed, they should be investigated and monitored, they should not be trusted blindly with the lives and safety of others.

I agree this is a terrible thing...but rigorous investigation to get to the bottom of things after....50+ years?? If there is a living victim to stand tall and demand it, by all means, let him see his day in the light and some accountability come for this. If not? What does this accomplish in pursuing for the Media? This sounds far FAR more like the kind of loose end historians spend their lives tugging on to fill in blanks and give the record some texture and depth for events long past.

What is gained by shining light down on the names of the men who did such (misguided in my view) things in the name of the Church, a life time ago? They're all likely dead, but their families aren't and these days, that can be MORE than enough to destroy lives....

Sometimes I just don't get the almost crusade level energy of people who run off in hot pursuit of any dirt to tarnish well known or respected people/institutions.

Now we have to hang the Church for wrongs over half a century ago? Geeze..when do we start investigations to set the record straight on the Inquisitions?? There may still be living decedents to shame for what happened.

Gotta love the Catholic church. At least they didn't put them in torture chambes until they died Inquistion style.

reply to post by ollncasino

This is the report referenced in the article regarding sexual abuse. I would guess sadly enough that this latest piece of news is true.
Summary in English of the Deetman report.
The study covers the period from 1945 to May 2010. I forget the exact figures but it was between 10 and 40 thousand.
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

And how do you think they discovered it after all these years. Yes, rigorous investigation.
What is to be gained? Well, showing people what a bunch of corrupt #s the Church is as a whole for a start.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Now we have to hang the Church for wrongs over half a century ago? Geeze..when do we start investigations to set the record straight on the Inquisitions?? There may still be living decedents to shame for what happened.

I'm not into bashing the Catholic church just for the sake of bashing it, but if this is true then it is monstrous.

reply to post by ollncasino

I'm not into bashing the Catholic church just for the sake of bashing it, but if this is true then it is monstrous.

Indeed.. it is... As are the electro-shock "therapy" used in the United States right into the 1970's at least. So were the frontal lobotomies practiced as legitimate behavioral modification "therapy" almost to the time period this was happening with the Church. Horrendous might also include the forced and brutal sterilization programs that many Goverments practiced and some still do...right into the modern day.

All off those are horrible, unspeakable acts against innocent people. So.. Priorities.... Which are pursued with all the vigor of a criminal investigation and which with the dogged determination of a HIstorian setting the record straight?

Well... I'm lonely in this opinion, it appears..but whats new lately? This just strikes me as a firm Historical item of interest when real crimes with real victims in the here and now are being passed off and buried for lack of resources and no manpower available. Hmm...Yet, lets go get those evil Priests of 60 years ago. Indeed... Much more important. Sorry....the priorities here leave me numb with resignation. Living victims are so less important than politically driven attacks against old style establishment of ANY kind.

BTW.. We agree with the need for establishing an accurate record of what happened for History and in the name of prevention for future generations relating to the Church and it's internal procedures....I just disagree with the public, media grabbing nature of it. Is it for truth or politics? The media coverage tells the tale there.

This took place roughly 60 years ago, but not any more. That is a whole generation ago.

Today, other religions execute gay teenagers. The most abusive and non loving ones do.

Today, our leaders enslave the world, and bomb innocent children after conning us into this, into the false elections, innocent children and the the number one casualty in their self appointed and self arranged wars, are civilians, not soldiers.

Um....not sure what the point of the thread is!

Originally posted by Unity_99
Um....not sure what the point of the thread is!

Apparently the Catholic church in the Netherlands was cutting minors' testicles off. I hope it isn't true but Dutch government inspectors were allegedly aware of it.

It was reported in the Telegpraph, a quality UK newspaper and a member of the Dutch parliament has called for an investigation.

Evidence emerged on Monday that government inspectors were aware that minors were being castrated while in Catholic-run psychiatric institutions.

"I am shocked that boys were being castrated in the 1950s," said Khadija Arib, a Labour MP. "I want an independent investigation. We must find out how many cases there were, who knew about it and why the government did not act."

The Telegraph

I'm shocked as well. I can only hope it isn't true.

What's really outrageous is that one of the boys was branded a 'homesexual' due to his being regularly raped by one of the priests. The Roman Catholic Church borders on being nothing more than a cult of pedophile rapists.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer

While the castration may be 50 years old, the rapes and subsequent cover up by Bishops and other higher ranking clergy has been as recent as 2010 according to the Deetman report. It rocked Holland, to say the least and opened many eyes here. The times they are a changing.

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
What's really outrageous is that one of the boys was branded a 'homesexual' due to his being regularly raped by one of the priests. The Roman Catholic Church borders on being nothing more than a cult of pedophile rapists.

The Daily Mail has further details.

The NRC Handelsblad, a daily evening paper in the Netherlands, identified a man called Henk Heithuis, as one of the young men who were castrated as well as nine other minors.

After reporting two monks to the police for abusing him in a Catholic boarding home, he was surgically castrated in 1956, when he was still a minor.

Mr Heithuis was castrated at the age of 20 - in 1956 he had accused Catholic clergy of sexually abusing him in his Church run care home.

Children in institutional care, regardless of religious affiliation, in the Netherlands were at substantial risk of being abused during the period, the molestation rate was 20 per cent, twice that of elsewhere.

Although the monks were convicted of the abuses, Mr Heithuis was still transported to a Catholic psychiatric hospital, and underwent a surgical castration.

The inquiry revealed that eight hundred Catholic clergy and church employees were guilty of abusing children over 40 years.

Daily Mail

An ex-Dutch PM was apparently involved.

There are also allegations that Vic Marijnen, who was a Dutch Prime Minister from 1963-65, had links to the case.

Not only was he a rising star in his political party, he was also vice-chairman of the Dutch Catholic child protection agency,.

Most importantly, in 1956, he was the chairman of the Gelderland children's home where Mr Heithuis and other children were abused.

He intervened to have prison sentences dropped against several priests convicted of abusing children.

Daily Mail

A "Catholic child protection agency" *shudder* - I think I just found a new definition for oxymoron, it beats "military intelligence" by a mile.

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
The Roman Catholic Church borders on being nothing more than a cult of pedophile rapists.

Well, it certainly seems to attract paedophiles and the type of people who will cover up for paedophiles.

How could someone who believes in a final judgement cover up the existence of child molesters?

Such behaviour would suggest that they don't believe in god at all.

Abusing children is one thing, as bad as it is, but cutting off young mens' testicles?

It beggars belief.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
I agree this is a terrible thing...but rigorous investigation to get to the bottom of things after....50+ years?? If there is a living victim to stand tall and demand it, by all means, let him see his day in the light and some accountability come for this. If not? What does this accomplish in pursuing for the Media? This sounds far FAR more like the kind of loose end historians spend their lives tugging on to fill in blanks and give the record some texture and depth for events long past.

What is gained by shining light down on the names of the men who did such (misguided in my view) things in the name of the Church, a life time ago? They're all likely dead, but their families aren't and these days, that can be MORE than enough to destroy lives....

Sometimes I just don't get the almost crusade level energy of people who run off in hot pursuit of any dirt to tarnish well known or respected people/institutions.

Now we have to hang the Church for wrongs over half a century ago? Geeze..when do we start investigations to set the record straight on the Inquisitions?? There may still be living decedents to shame for what happened.

edit on 20-3-2012 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)

Apparently they didn't just do this to boys they thought/proved were homosexual. They also did this to victims of rape by the church officials.

Joep Dohmen, the investigative journalist who uncovered the Heithuis case, also found evidence of at least nine other castrations. "These cases are anonymous and can no longer be traced," he said. "There will be many more. But the question is whether those boys, now old men, will want to tell their story." Mr Heithuis died in a car crash in 1958, two years after being castrated at the age of 20, while under the age of majority, which was then 21. In 1956 he had accused Catholic clergy of sexually abusing him in his Church run care home. Two clergymen were convicted of abuse but Mr Heithuis, a victim, was nonetheless transferred by police to a Catholic psychiatric hospital before being admitted to the St. Joseph Hospital in Veghel later that year. There, court papers confirm, he was castrated "at his own request", despite no submission of his written consent. Sources told Mr Dohmen that the surgical removal of testicles was regarded as a treatment for homosexuality and also as a punishment for those who accused clergy of sexual abuse.

Can you imagine? Being a victim or rape, then being a victim once again when you're forcibly put in a pysch hospital to be castrated? Horrendous. I understand that most may not wish to come forward, or may be dead. But the light MUST be shined on the church and those who committed these offenses against these children who committed no offense other than report a crime, or be different from others.

Originally posted by ollncasino

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
The Roman Catholic Church borders on being nothing more than a cult of pedophile rapists.

Well, it certainly seems to attract paedophiles and the type of people who will cover up for paedophiles.

How could someone who believes in a final judgement cover up the existence of child molesters?

Such behaviour would suggest that they don't believe in god at all.

Abusing children is one thing, as bad as it is, but cutting off young mens' testicles?

It beggars belief.

That's what gets me. They not only victimized these children, they victimized them TWICE and in such a horrid manner. These kids never got to have normal lives. Those that were heterosexual and castrated never got to have children. These that were homosexual never got that choice either. That is what's truly shocking, painful, sad, ... I can't think of a word I'm so pissed and stunned. I'm a Christian and sometimes people of my faith make me want to change my mind. Also the reason why there are so many pedophiles in church, sports, etc... is because pedophiles go where the kids are. They have an endless source of victims. These vampires feed off of it.

Its pretty obvious the castration is a sick form of sexual enslavement in the Church ie a rite of passage for these altar boys

and we most all know by now the reason the Bible is so opposed to homosexuality is because of the founders' struggles and obsessions with oppressing their own sexuality in others - Paul's "thorn" in his flesh

thats the problem with religions they need to get over the "sins" they obsess over condemning hypocritely - and practice what they preach - why is that part so hard.

its almost like a sacreligious fetish they get off on, preaching against the very thing they obsess over behind closed doors, what a shame and disgrace to unrepentant, moderate sexuals who are comfy with whatever their orientation.

reply to post by ollncasino


Yes they might have done this, 60 years ago.

That is like a whole generation ago.

And I suspect this is being brought up in the typical anti Christian air that surrounds the world, when Christ is the way back home, whether he was real or metaphor, whether you are Christian or just connect within to Source and wake up and see through the world and walk with the poor.

The ones who are very much against Christianity are TPTB and their, the Nazi's tool, is the Brotherhood.

Well Sharia Brotherhood doesnt take ones testicles. It executes gays.

Originally posted by Unity_99
Yes they might have done this, 60 years ago.

That is like a whole generation ago.

And the young men who had their testicles cut off by the Catholic church, did they have the opportunity to pass on a new generation, a generation ago?

Did they have the opportunity to live a normal life, a generation ago?

reply to post by ollncasino


We have zillions worst things happening today and the last 10 years or so.

And 60 years ago, all over the world there were terrible things happening.

What about the gay men who are hung in Iran?

Do they get to contribute to the future?

I just think there are modern things to worry about, not things back a generation.

Abuse by some religious continues happening, due to the elite and their corruption. The religious leaders know fully well what they're doing in all the religions.

We're all called to be Buddha, the seeker, then to become Christed, the one who finds by going within and connecting to Source.