Belgian bishop declines proposed cardinal honor over abuse record
ROME (AP) — One of Pope Francis’ proposed new cardinals, the retired bishop of Ghent, Belgium, has bowed out of accepting the honor over his own insufficient response to cases of clergy sexual abuse, the Belgian bishops’ conference said.
Ghent Bishop Luc Van Looy’s decision highlights the Belgian church’s wretched record in protecting children from predator priests. He asked Francis for permission to decline the honor of becoming a cardinal in order “to not harm victims again,” and Francis accepted the request, the bishops said in a statement.
In May, Francis named Van Looy as one of 21 prelates who would become a new “prince of the church” during an Aug. 27 ceremony. At age 80, Van Looy is too old to participate in a future conclave to elect the next pope, but he was one of five men selected as cardinals in recognition of their lifetime of service to the church.
Van Looy, a priest of the Salesian religious order who served as a missionary in South Korea, had been bishop of the northwest Belgian diocese from 2004-2020. During the final five years of his term, he also served as the president of Caritas Europe, which is part of the Vatican’s Caritas Internationalis network of charities.
The Belgian bishops’ conference said the announcement that he would be made a cardinal had “generated a lot of positive reaction but also criticism of the fact that he didn’t always react with sufficient energy as bishop of Ghent against abuse in his pastoral work.”
The Belgian group Human Rights in the Church had complained in particular about the nomination.
Cardinals are the prime advisers to the pope and, for those under age 80, their main job involves coming to Rome in the event of a papal death or resignation to participate in the secret balloting to elect a new pope.