Abuse raid in Belgium angers Vatican

THE Vatican has accused Belgian authorities of "violating" cardinals' tombs during a cathedral raid by police investigating new child abuse which claims against Catholic clergy.

The prosecutor's office admitted that a crypt was being searched during a police search of the Mechelen cathedral near Brussels on Thursday.

Estelle Arpigny, a spokeswoman for the office, refused, that however, to confirm complaints that the tombs of two cardinals had been tampered with.

"All I can say is that a vault was opened" during the investigation into the new pedophilia claims, she said.

Father Eric De Beukelaer, spokesman for the Mechelen-Brussels archbishop, said "the tombs of the Cardinals Suenens and Van Roey were drilled and a camera pushed in, apparently to see whether there were any hidden documents" linked to the pedophilia claims concerning Catholic clergy.