CDF orders disgraced Belgian bishop to seek treatment
April 11, 2011
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Archbishop Giacinto Berloco, the apostolic nuncio in Belgium, said on April 9 that a bishop who abused his nephew has been ordered to seek treatment in an undisclosed foreign country.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Archbishop Berloco, determined that “even if the statute of limitations for the sexual abuse of his nephew had lapsed under canon law, Bishop [Roger] Vangheluwe should leave Belgium and undertake a period of spiritual and psychological treatment.”
“Bishop Vangheluwe, who since his resignation has lived in different places without a fixed address, has already left Belgium to submit to this decision,” the nuncio added.
Prosecutors said last week that Bishop Vangheluwe, who resigned in April 2010, would not be charged under Belgian law because of the statute of limitations.
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Further information:
- Vatican says sex abuser bishop leaves Belgium (Reuters)
- Belgian bishop will not face criminal charges for abuse (CWN, 4/5)
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Posted by: -
Apr. 11, 2011 7:12 PM ET USA
Is the therapeutic approach which proved so disastrous for the Church still in vogue? Perhaps the Bishop could benefit from therapy, but ordinarily somebody going through therapy is nobody else's business. So, there is at least an implication that there are still those who believe in the therapeutic approach to sin--otherwise, why make such a public announcement?
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Posted by: Saint Jimbob of the Apokalypse -
Apr. 11, 2011 12:21 PM ET USA
Here's hoping that wherever this Belgian bishop ends up, the institution has a better track record than St. Luke's or Servants of the Paraclete. How many victims were from incidents AFTER their assailant had spent time at either of the aforementioned "treatment" facilities?
