Father Rik Devillé, a vocal advocate for victims of clerical sexual abuse, called for the archbishop’s resignation, local media reported.
“Archbishop Terlinden and Bishop Koen Vanhoutte, who oversee this archdiocese, are directly responsible for appointing priests. You don’t sign a document without knowing its contents,” Devillé said, according to VRT.
“Recently, a minister of justice resigned due to an employee’s error. If Archbishop Terlinden adheres to the same standards, he should also resign.”
The Church in Belgium is grappling with a profound fallout from public outrage over the handling of sexual abuse scandals.
According to the 2023 annual report, the number of Catholics requesting their names be removed from the baptismal register was 1.270.
Several prominent Catholics have publicly said they would “de-register” their baptisms to distance themselves from the Church — a move that is supported by the Belgian Data Protection Authority but clashes with the Catholic view of this sacrament as an indelible seal.
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