2023-10-24 19:28:00
In the program “De Tafel van Gert” on Flemish television, Vincent Van Quickenborne testified to acts of abuse on the part of a priest in the boarding school where he was housed during his secondary studies in a “school of good reputation in Ghent.
“When a boy was sick, had a headache for example, the priest came to his room and asked him to take down his pants. Then he looked,” said the now ex-minister. “All the young people at the boarding school experienced it,” said Vincent Van Quickenborne, before admitting a little later that he himself had been a victim of the priest’s actions. “I experienced it myself. He (the priest, editor’s note) was watching. It was he who was watching. These are serious facts. The boys talked regarding it among themselves. But it was not reported at the time.
He has never told this story before. “Why? Because the suffering inflicted on other people, for example in the ‘Godforsaken’ report, was much greater,” he added.
According to Van Quickenborne, the priest involved has died in the meantime. However, the man’s name also reportedly appears in the files of Rik Devillé, the priest who has been helping survivors of sexual abuse in the Church for decades.
“I hope it won’t happen once more now. There are no more priests either, so it probably won’t happen once more,” Mr Van Quickenborne added.
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