Iceland: Catholic Church commission confirms abuse at Landakotsskóli school and Riftún camp

Proceedings

1. 2012-11-05 · official commission report

   Catholic Church in Iceland — independent investigative commission (chair: Hjördís Hákonardóttir). The Church's own investigative commission confirmed that Rev. Ágúst Georg Gíslason, principal of the Catholic elementary school Landakotsskóli, and teacher Margrét Müller had abused pupils. Of 30 former pupils and camp attendees interviewed, 8 reported sexual abuse and 27 reported mental abuse or witnessing it, spanning the school and the affiliated Riftún summer camp. The commission separately found that Bishop Joannes Gijsen failed his obligations by destroying a letter documenting an abuse allegation instead of investigating it. No criminal prosecution is recorded; this is an official institutional finding.

Documented coercion mechanisms

• clerical headship of a Catholic parish school and affiliated summer camp
• diocesan suppression of a documented abuse complaint (destroyed letter)