BELGIUM
Catholic Culture
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Brussels, the Belgian archdiocese announced on June 1.
Archbishop Léonard submitted his letter of resignation on May 6, as required by canon law, upon reaching the age of 75. Just two weeks earlier, a Belgian court had ordered the archbishop to pay €10,000 in damages to a sex-abuse victim, ruling that the prelate was responsible for a failure to take action on prior abuse complaints.
The resignation of Archbishop Léonard was widely perceived as a test of the Pope’s determination to hold bishops accountable for their handling of sex-abuse cases. Although the archbishop had denied wrongdoing in the court case, and his attorney had said that he might appeal the ruling, his critics applauded the Pope’s quick action in accepting his resignation.
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