Pedophilia: the former bishop of Bruges reduced to a secular state by Pope Francis

2024-03-22T04:19:45.683Z

Highlights: Roger Vangheluwe, accused of pedophilia, had lived in seclusion since 2010 in a French abbey. New facts have been transmitted to Rome leading the Pope to grant the request of the Belgian bishops. He had notably sexually assaulted one of his nephews and was forced to resign in 2010. The prelate had since lived in retirement at the abbey of Solesmes, in the west of France, but kept his attributes and his salary paid by the Belgian State.

Roger Vangheluwe, accused of pedophilia, had lived in seclusion since 2010 in a French abbey. New facts have been transmitted to Rome leading the Pope to grant the request of the Belgian bishops who…

Pedophilia: the former bishop of Bruges reduced to a secular state by Pope Francis

Roger Vangheluwe, accused of pedophilia, had lived in seclusion since 2010 in a French abbey. New facts were transmitted to Rome leading the pope to grant the request of the Belgian bishops who repeatedly asked that he be sanctioned.

Roger Vangheluwe, then bishop of Bruges, February 15, 2007. AP - Peter Maenhoudt

By: RFI Follow

With our correspondent in Rome,

Éric Sénanque

Roger Vanglehuwe is no longer bishop or priest. So decided

Pope Francis

. For many years, pressure had been strong on Rome, due to the sulphurous past of the former bishop of Bruges. He had notably sexually assaulted one of his nephews and was forced to resign in 2010. The prelate had since lived in retirement at the abbey of Solesmes, in the west of France, but kept his attributes and his salary , paid by the Belgian State.

In recent months, a new file incriminating the pedophile bishop was transmitted to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican containing the testimony of a new victim. On March 3, the dicastery transmitted the file to the Pope proposing to reduce Roger Vanglehuwe to a lay state.

The Belgian bishops welcomed the decision and paid tribute to the victims of the attacker who had the courage to testify. The reduction to the lay state of a bishop is rare in the Church. The one concerning the former head of the diocese of Bruges comes as Pope Francis himself announced an upcoming trip to Belgium in September. A visit which risked being poisoned by this cumbersome file.

Pedophilia: the former bishop of Bruges reduced to a secular state by Pope Francis

Pedophilia: the former bishop of Bruges reduced to a secular state by Pope Francis

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