Pope Francis accepts Belgian bishop’s request not to be made a cardinal

CNA Staff   By CNA Staff

 

Bishop Luc Van Looy, left, with Archbishop Augustine Kasujja in 2017. / Carolus via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0).

London, England, Jun 16, 2022 / 10:21 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has accepted a Belgian bishop’s request not to be made a cardinal at a consistory in August.

Bishop Luc Van Looy, the 80-year-old emeritus bishop of Ghent, was due to receive the red hat with 20 other churchmen in Rome on Aug. 27.

A June 16 statement from the Belgian bishops’ conference said: “The announcement of the cardinalate of Bishop Luc Van Looy, emeritus, has provoked many positive reactions, but also criticism that as Bishop of Ghent (2004-2020) he did not always react vigorously enough against abuses in pastoral relations.”

“In order to prevent victims of such abuses from being hurt again as a result of his cardinalate, Bishop Van Looy asked the pope to dispense with his acceptance of the appointment. Pope Francis agreed to his request.”

“Cardinal De Kesel and the bishops of Belgium appreciate the decision of Bishop Van Looy. They reiterate their commitment to continue their fight against all forms of abuse in the Catholic Church, in which the interests of the victims and their families are always at the forefront.”

Van Looy was born in Tielen, Belgium, on Sept. 28, 1941. He joined the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1961. He was ordained a priest on Sept. 12, 1970.

During the 1970s, he served as a missionary in South Korea. In the 1980s and 90s, he held leadership positions within the Salesians.

In 2003, at the age of 62, he was named bishop of Ghent, northwestern Belgium. He was ordained bishop on Feb. 1, 2004.

Van Looy spoke before a Belgian parliamentary commission on sexual abuse in 2010. According to a contemporary report, he apologized to survivors of clerical abuse.

“As a human being, as a believer, as a priest and as a bishop, I am deeply ashamed,” he said.

Pope Francis personally appointed him as a delegate to the 2015 family synod.

The pope accepted his resignation as bishop of Ghent on Nov. 27, 2019, when Van Looy was 78, three years past the normal retirement age for diocesan bishops.

Pope Francis announced on May 29 that he intended to elevate Van Looy to the rank of cardinal.

This is a developing story


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


About Catholic News Agency 10092 Articles
Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

1 Comment

1 Trackback / Pingback

  1. Pope Francis accepts Belgian bishop’s request not to be made a cardinal – Catholic World Report - WORLD CATHOLIC NEWS

Leave a Reply to Gilberta Van Houtven Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*