Danish police drop investigation into church sexual abuse cases seen as obsolete

Danish police drop church sexual abuse probe

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish police say they won’t investigate alleged cases of sexual abuse in the country’s Catholic Church because most of them are obsolete.

But officers say five cases of alleged indecent exposure are still under scrutiny.

The Catholic Church has recently reported 31 claims of sexual abuse dating back mostly to the 1960s and ’70s. The statute of limitations in such cases expires within 10 years in Denmark.

Police spokesman Svend Folager said Wednesday that police would have started an investigation if the cases had been more recent.

There are around 35,000 registered Catholics in Denmark, a predominantly Evangelical Lutheran country.