by Interior Editor
The monsignor, bishop emeritus of Ghent (Belgium), asked Pope Francis for discharge from the cardinalate. He would receive the purple next August 27th. The resignation was accepted by Bergoglio
Monsignor Luc Van Looy, bishop emeritus of Ghent (Belgium), asked Pope Francis to be exonerated from the office of cardinal. Van Looy was on the list of five prelates over 80 who would receive the purple in the August 27 consistory. His resignation, accepted by the Pope, comes after the controversy caused by his appointment: the prelate has in fact been accused of not having cracked down on cases of abuse by the clergy in the past.
The announcement
The cardinal’s resignation was announced by the Belgian Bishops’ Conference, where he explained in a note that the announcement of the appointment of Cardinal Van Looy, bishop emeritus, had provoked many positive reactions, but also criticism for the fact that he had not always done so as bishop of Ghent (2004-2020) will react with sufficient energy to abuses by priests. The reference to a Belgian group, Human Rights in de Kerk, which expressed confusion and outrage at the Pope’s announcement on May 29 last year that he intended to bestow the purple on Van Looy.
The motives
In order to prevent the victims of such abuse from being hurt again after his cardinal – the statement said – Monsignor Van Looy asked the Pope to exempt him from accepting this appointment. Pope Francis accepted his request. The President of the Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Jozef De Kesel, and all the Belgian Bishops appreciate Monsignor Van Looy’s decision and take this opportunity to reaffirm their determination to steadfastly continue their fight against all forms of abuse in the Catholic Church, respecting the interest of the victims and their loved ones always comes first.
who
Born in 1941 in Tielen, Belgium, the Salesian Van Looy was a missionary in South Korea in the 1970s and a member of the General Council of the Salesian Congregation of Don Bosco in the decades that followed. In 2003, at the age of 62, he was appointed bishop of Ghent in north-western Belgium. The Pope accepted his resignation in November 2019 at the age of 78.
The engagement
Van Looy recalls, as we read on the Vatican News website, an intervention before members of the Belgian Parliamentary Commission in 2010, during which he said he was deeply moved by the scandals of child sexual abuse affecting the Catholic Church in Belgium and would have shaken in the world. The prelate also stated that the Church has an obligation to report any suspicion of sexual abuse by members of the clergy to the judicial authorities, and he took the opportunity to apologize to the victims of this inhuman suffering. As a person, as a believer, as a priest and as a bishop – he said – I am deeply ashamed.
June 17, 2022 (change June 17, 2022 | 13:31)
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