In July, Johan Bonny resigned after 15 years as the Belgian bishops’ commissioner for abuse. Now another bishop is taking over. Meanwhile, the Pope is planning a symbolically important meeting during his upcoming visit to the country.
The new abuse commissioner of the Belgian Bishops’ Conference is its chairman, Archbishop Luc Terlinden. He provisionally succeeds Bishop Johan Bonny, who stepped down from this position in July after 15 years, the bishops announced on their website. Terlinden admitted that there had been a “culture of secrecy and silence” in the Church in the past, which made each of these tragedies even more difficult to bear.
It was also said that Pope Francis wanted to meet 15 victims of sexual abuse during his visit to Belgium. At the express request of several victims, the meeting will take place in complete discretion. Therefore, neither the place nor the time of the meeting will be disclosed,…
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