Belgian Government Takes Action on Church Sexual Abuse Scandal, Criticizes Pope’s Planned Visit

Van Tigchelt’s predecessor Vincent Van Quickenborne called on the church and other religious communities in response to ‘Forgotten God’ to remove perpetrators from the payrolls, so that taxpayers no longer pay for their compensation. This has now happened for four people, Van Tigchelt said in Parliament. The procedure is ongoing for four other clergy.

The minister also discussed the visit that the Pope wants to make to our country next year. For him, this is only possible “if work is done” on the case of Roger Vangheluwe, the bishop who sexually abused his cousin for years and has now been living in the shelter of a French abbey for a long time. The minister pointed out that there has still been no response from Rome to the letter that Vangheluwe allegedly sent to Rome in September. Earlier, Bishop Johan Bonny had urged him to renounce his titles.

There is also criticism of the Pope’s planned visit from the Flemish government. Minister of Internal Affairs Gwendolyn Rutten (Open VLD) says via X that she still supports a tweet from September. It stated that a visit by the Pope “is not desirable” as long as Rome does not actively sanction perpetrators and concealers of sexual abuse in the church. Environment Minister Zuhal Demir calls the visit “an excellent opportunity to apologize to victims of sexual abuse and child trafficking.”

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2023-12-14 17:02:52


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