Your gift counts double until 5/31: $28,840 to go in our Easter Campaign. Please help now!

Man disrupts liturgy, hits Belgian archbishop with pie

CWN - November 08, 2010

A man hit Archbishop Andre-Joseph of Brussels in the face with a pie on November 1, as the prelate was presiding at a liturgical service.

A spokesman said that Archbishop Leonard had declined to press criminal charges for the assault. The Belgian prelate has been the focus of intense criticism because of his public statements on AIDS and on sexual abuse—statements which he says were twisted out of context.

(The AP story identifies Archbishop Leonard as "ultraconservative," thereby contributing to the campaign to isolate him.)

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($28,840 to go):
$80,000.00 $51,159.70
36% 64%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

Show 1 Comments? (Hidden)Hide Comments
  • Posted by: Obregon - Nov. 09, 2010 12:45 AM ET USA

    The Archbishop already offered his true words to the media and made it clear his "original" words were twisted to give them a meaning he never intented. Did the media apologize? Of course not, they never do. As for the pie incident, even if the Archbishop had said something offensive, nothing excuses anyone from disrupting a liturgical act and disrespecting an Archbishop.

Catholic World News Email Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child May 17
The case for change in Irish abortion law: based on a framework of falsehood May 17
The Smell of the Sheep May 16
Too many missing funds: Catholic institutions need tighter financial controls May 16
What capitalists should learn from the Pope's critique May 16

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8