2023-10-25 16:26:40
The facts are revolting.” This is what the current management of Saint-Barbara College in Ghent declared on Wednesday, in reaction to the testimonies of former Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne, among others, on sexual abuse committed in the establishment in the 1980s. “First of all, we would like to emphasize that we are not minimizing anything and that we condemn these facts with the greatest firmness,” declared the director of the establishment, Diederik Costeur. He says it would be impossible for similar cases to go unpunished today.
Tuesday, in the program “De tafel van Gert” broadcast on Play4, Van Quickenborne testified, somewhat unexpectedly, regarding the abuses committed in the boarding school of the Ghent higher school where he was educated in the years 1980. He himself did not mention the name of the school.
“If the boys were sick, if they had a headache, for example, the priest would come into the room and say ‘take off your pants’ and be examined,” Van Quickenborne said. “All the young people at the boarding school have experienced it. » He then declared that he himself had been a victim of this priest, who has since died.
The former minister never made these facts public because he considered that the suffering of the other victims was much more serious. Radio producer Sven Ornelis, who went to school in St. Barbara around the same time, also testified to similar facts.
The current College management was not present, but it acknowledged the facts on Wednesday and presented the measures taken at the time. “When the Vangheluwe affair became known, victims came to the school. The management began discussions with them and sent files to the Adriaenssens Commission. The superior of the Jesuits (Sainte-Barbara is a Jesuit college, editor’s note) was also informed. »
There were never any consequences for the priest in question. “At that time, the priest was no longer active at the school. He had already died. There were never any charges during his period of activity. » The management regrets the harm that the priest caused to the victims. “He is now deceased, but that does not ease the pain of the victims. »
Management promises full transparency and will send a communication to staff and students to explain the events.
The management team strongly demonstrates that similar events can no longer happen today. At the time, a culture of silence existed within the Church. “We are not the Church,” says Costeur on this subject. “As soon as there is a lay director, it makes a difference. We care very much regarding the well-being of our students. If this were revealed today, sanctions would be taken and the man would certainly no longer be able to be active. »
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Director Costeur further emphasizes that the school environment has also changed. “No school is the same as it was thirty or forty years ago. Neither does our school. If a child came home today with a story like that, we would believe them. In the past, we didn’t believe children enough. »
The Flemish Jesuits also reacted to the news on Wednesday. “Our first concern concerns the victims and the recognition of their suffering,” declared regional superior Marc Desmet. “We are grateful to all those who, through their courage, are paving the way for healing. This is why we also invite victims to make themselves known to us or to the hotline. This will help us take our responsibilities and pursue our integrity policy with increased attention. »
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