It has now emerged that the victim was secretly taping the meeting. One copy of the tape was sent to investigating magistrate Wim De Troy in Brussels and another to De Standaard newspaper, which published transcripts last weekend.

At the weekend, Danneels' spokesman, Toon Osaer, said that the Cardinal "regrets" that what was supposed to be a pri- vate discussion was taped and then made public. In previous statements, Danneels maintained that he attended the meeting to listen and denied any desire to "cover it with the mantle of confidentiality".

Osaer said that Danneels admitted he had suggested waiting until Vangheluwe retired before going public with the story, but only in his role as a mediator. "He tried to find a consensus that would satisfy everyone," he said. "He had no idea that the victim wanted the bishop's resignation from the outset."

It was also revealed last week that 475 files of abuse by clergy gathered by a commission set up by the church must be returned and that their contents cannot be used as evi- dence. The dossiers were taken as evidence when investigators searched the commission offices in Leuven. At the same time, the Brussels prosecutor, investigating the alleged cover-up of abuse, carried out seizures at the archbishop's palace, Sint Rombout's cathedral and the residence of Cardinal Danneels, all in Mechelen. Those searches were legal, a court has ruled.

The Danneels Tapes: an extract
Danneels (D) and the victim (V) met in the abbey of Steenbrugge on 8 April, apparently at the victim's request, although the tapes suggest he was in fact expecting Archbishop André Léonard, head of the church following Danneels' retirement. Vangheluwe was also present, but left the room to allow the others to speak privately.

V: So, my whole life I've been abused by my uncle Roger. Sexually, and now also emotionally, and I've decided I need to do something about it, that it's my duty to report it to a higher authority.

D: What do you actually want? I know the story; he's already told me. You don't have to tell me all over again, but tell me what you actually want me to do?

V: I'm passing the responsibility on to you. I can't decide; I have this weight on my shoulders, and I want it to be taken from me and handed over to you....You do whatever you think you have to do, because I don't know how the whole system works.

D: Do you want all of this to be made public, in fact?

V: I'll leave that up to you.

D: Actually, monsignor [Vangheluwe] will be stepping down next year. It would be better for you to wait.

V: No, no, no.

D: If you do it now, there's going to be speculation, you know.

V: Maybe, then it's your responsibility to take care of the speculation.

D: But we can't take care of it.

V: Well, I can't take care of it either, so I'd rather hand it over to you.

D: Well then, I would suggest that we might be better to wait for a date next year when he'd normally be stepping down.

V: No, I don't agree with that. Then he steps down in a blaze of glory; no, I can't have that. If it turns out that you decide to use the cover-up technique as you've done all these years, then I'll have to live with it, but...

D: But I have no say over what Monsignor Vangheluwe does.

V: Who does, then?

D: Nobody, in fact, except maybe the Pope. ...........

V: Oh yeah, what am I doing here in fact? Then I suppose we'd better make an appointment with the Pope?

D: Or with the new archbishop [Léonard].

Translation: Alan Hope