Belgium’s Abuse Legacy Clouds Pope’s Trip as Survivors Seek Reparations

Bishop of Bruges Roger Vangheluwe, in Bruges, Belgium, on Feb. 15, 2007. He was defrocked by Pope Francis in March this year, 14 years after admitting to sexually abusing his nephew for over a decade.
Bishop of Bruges Roger Vangheluwe, in Bruges, Belgium, on Feb. 15, 2007. He was defrocked by Pope Francis in March this year, 14 years after admitting to sexually abusing his nephew for over a decade.
AP Photo/Peter Maenhoudt, File

A report in 2010 revealed over 500 cases of abuse, with victims as young as two years old.

At least 13 suicides were linked to the abuse, and the Church’s attempts to address the crisis have been widely criticized as inadequate.

Mass attendance, once a pillar of Belgian life, has plummeted to the point where Church authorities no longer release weekly figures.

Overall turnout has plummeted by 40% since 2017.

While Pope Francis will focus on immigration and climate change during his visits to Leuven University and Luxembourg, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni acknowledged that the abuse issue cannot be ignored.

“Clearly the pope is aware of the difficulty, and that for years there has been suffering in Belgium, and certainly we can expect a reference in this sense,” he said in a statement.

For many survivors, however, the damage has been done.

“It’s for them a very, very stressful and frustrating time,” Schildermans explained.

She claims some who sought meetings with the pope were told they “didn’t make the cut,” compounding their sense of betrayal by the institution they once trusted.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press

Source link : https://www.newsweek.com/pope-belgium-catholic-church-child-sex-abuse-scandal-reparations-1959064

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Publish date : 2024-09-25 06:45:00

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