Dutch municipality probes sect led by elderly exorcist amid abuse allegations
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The municipality of Tubbergen has launched an official investigation into a controversial religious sect that has operated in the region for decades, according to NOS. The group, known as the Pater Pio Stichting, is led by 85-year-old self-proclaimed faith healer and exorcist Trees P., who was previously convicted for physically injuring a follower during an exorcism in the 1990s.
The new investigation, ordered by Mayor Anko Postma, follows mounting allegations of child abuse, corporal punishment, psychological manipulation, child labor, and attempts at so-called “gay conversion” practices within the group. “I want to know exactly who was involved and what we can do to prevent this in the future,” Postma said. He also questioned why authorities had not intervened sooner and whether the sect could or should have been stopped earlier.
National politicians are also calling for action. Tweede Kamer members Michiel van Nispen (SP) and Ingrid Michon (VVD) have submitted formal questions in response to recent reports by RTV Oost and De Twentsche Courant Tubantia. Both parties are demanding clarification about what was known, what actions were taken, and what more could be done to address such alleged sectarian abuse.
The reports that prompted political and public outcry include testimony of a disturbing exorcism ritual in which two young sisters, aged 6 and 8, were forced to participate. During the ceremony, sect leader Trees P. reportedly screamed and commanded the girls to pray and sing while a 14-year-old girl—naked under a running shower—was allegedly undergoing an exorcism because she was believed to be possessed by the devil.
Several former child members have since spoken out as adults, describing ongoing trauma from their time in the sect. Among them is Evelien Vaags, the daughter of the woman who had her ears cut during an exorcism led by Trees P. in the 1990s. That incident resulted in a three-month prison sentence for Trees.
“My mother always kept her hair over her ears so it wouldn’t be visible,” Vaags told Dutch news program Nieuwsuur. “As a little girl I once asked, ‘Mom, what’s wrong with your ears?’ But she never talked about it. That’s how traumatic it was.”
Vaags joined the sect at the age of 6, during a time when her mother was mentally ill and her father turned to Trees P. for help. “Soon after, our entire family was under the sect’s control,” she said. Her mother was reportedly tied up and beaten during their time in the group. “It marks your life. An innocent child just deserves a good life,” Vaags said.
Content retrieved from: https://nltimes.nl/2025/05/17/dutch-municipality-probes-sect-led-elderly-exorcist-amid-abuse-allegations.
