2023-09-16 12:45:00
Godvergeten is a documentary in four episodes broadcast on the second channel of public television Canvas. Almost all of Flanders is talking regarding it. The series brought sexual abuse within the Church back into the news, a scourge that the institution has been trying to combat for more than thirty years. We talked regarding it a lot and we thought we had turned the page on this painful episode. And yet… Several hundred thousand viewers followed, two Tuesdays in a row, the first two episodes of the series produced by Ibbe Daniëls and Ingrid Schildermans. During the second broadcast, viewers were able to see for the first time the face of Mark Vangheluwe, the nephew of Roger Vangheluwe, the former bishop of Bruges forced to resign in 2010 following admitting to having abused his nephew for long years. This revelation made headlines in the international press at the time, giving rise to Operation Chalice (June 2010) with searches carried out in the context of files linked to sexual abuse in the Church. Two more episodes are scheduled to air on Tuesday, September 19 and 26.
Should we review the role of the priest? The debate that agitates the Church
Hell on earth
During the first two broadcasts, victims and their loved ones testified to the suffering they endured for years. Some spoke for the first time on camera. These survivors spoke of the hell they went through. Abused by priests 30 years or more ago, these victims are scarred for life. Vulnerable people have been easy prey for unscrupulous clerics. Catchy, the Dutch title of the series “Godvergeten” (Forgotten God), means by extension: “hellish, vile, disgusting.” Humiliated, rejected, put under pressure, these people say that they have the following-effects of the abuse they suffered, even thirty or forty years following the events. The Canvas documentary allows viewers to take the true measure of what happened and to see the scale of the phenomenon.
“I didn’t become a priest to clean all this up”
The Flemish bishops had announced that they would communicate on the issue, but only following the broadcast of the four parts of the documentary, that is to say following September 26. However, the first two parts caused such a shock wave in Flanders that Johan Bonny, the referendum bishop for sexual abuse in the Church, chose to break his silence on Monday September 11. At the microphone of Radio 1, the prelate regretted that the impression was given that the Church had done nothing for years. “I was not yet in office at the time. I didn’t become a priest to clean up all this” explains Johan Bonny before continuing: “But for 13 years, believe me, I have thought regarding it every day. And many others with me, I can tell you this with my heart. I of course recognize the suffering of the victims, but I also say that we have taken our responsibilities in this matter and we continue to do so. Shortly following, Lode Aerts, the bishop of Bruges, also broke his silence by sending a message of sympathy to the victims and their loved ones.
Sexual violence within the Church: investigation for perjury once morest the Cardinal of Cologne, searches took place in the archbishopric
The unexpected media release of Mgr. Bonny, bishop of Antwerp, caused incomprehension. “At this stage, dignified restraint would have been preferable,” several observers stressed. As a result, the VRT and in its wake various Flemish media have put the subject back on the agenda. Sylvie Walraevens, journalist for Tertio, a current Christian weekly in Flanders, put her finger on the origin of the problem. According to her, this is a “systemic drift linked to the immense power of the institution which, today, must demonstrate humility. The Church must ensure that this generation of victims is the last,” she insisted. On social networks, citizens denounced the perversity of ecclesial power and the actions of abusive priests.
Cancellation of baptism
After watching the two episodes, many baptized people made the personal, ultimately symbolic, choice to leave the Church by requesting the annulment of their baptism. The dioceses of Antwerp and Hasselt recorded an increase in cancellations, without being able to provide a precise figure. Some want a parliamentary initiative calling for a review of the financing of religions (art 181 of the Constitution). The Catholic faith takes the lion’s share, i.e. 80% of the subsidies granted by the Ministry of Justice. This amount is calculated according to the number of inhabitants of the parishes, baptized or not.
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