Pope Francis removes former Belgian bishop accused of pedophilia from clergy

He Pope Francis This Thursday, the former bishop of the Belgian diocese of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, was stripped of his clergy status, who admitted to having sexually abused at least one of his nephews when he was a minor, although he had complaints about another niece and former members. of a shelter. .

Upon being informed this Wednesday of his dismissal, Vangheluwe asked to be able to live in a retirement place, “without any contact with the outside world” to “dedicate themselves to prayer and penance”, The Apostolic Nunciature said in a statement.

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Several Belgian media outlets reported that the 87-year-old former bishop of Bruges He will continue to live in the French abbey where he is currently imprisoned, after having reached an agreement with the ecclesiastical authorities.

However, with the loss of his clerical status and the removal of his habit, Vangheluwe is now, for all intents and purposes, free to move and settle wherever you want.

In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI removed him from the position of bishop. after admitting that he sexually abused his nephew, who was a minor at the time.

Later, other accusations were added by another of his nieces and by former members of a foster home with whom, according to the complainants, he had sexual encounters in the mid-1980s, when they were children.

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In 2011, the Vatican forced him to retire to France and imposed spiritual and psychological treatment on him, after learning that he could not be prosecuted in the ordinary justice system because the statute of limitations had expired.

During a survey carried out in 2012, Pornographic images were found on his computer, prompting the pope to re-examine his case.

All of this led to the decision announced this Thursday to withdraw his status as a cleric, which Pope Francis assumed on March 11, as explained by the Apostolic Nunciature.

““The Holy Father reiterates his closeness to victims of abuse and his commitment to eradicating this scourge from the Church.” added the ecclesiastical entity in its statement, published by the Belgian press.

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Vangheluwe’s case triggered in Belgium, after he admitted to having abused his nephew, a police and judicial investigation into sexual violence within the Church, called ‘Operation Chalice’, which included in 2012 searches in several bishoprics and archbishoprics in the country to obtain information.

In October 2023, the Belgian Parliament created a commission of inquiry into alleged sexual abuse committed by members of the Church, following the broadcast of a documentary on VTR television in which several victims recounted their experiences.

In the last decade, the Catholic Church in Belgium received a total of 1,392 reports of sexual abuse, the vast majority of which occurred more than 30 years ago, according to updated data in the latest report published by the Belgian Bishops’ Conference in September. 2023.

Source: Elcomercio

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