2023-10-01 11:28:00
In the program “It’s not every day Sunday” on October 1, abuse within the Catholic Church was at the heart of the debate. Gabriel, a victim of sexual abuse in his youth, was present on set to provide his testimony. 30 years later, the pain is still raw.
For several weeks, the Flemish television channel, VRT Canvas, broadcast reports called “Godforsaken“, which can be translated as “The forgotten by God“Many people, raped by priests, testify there for the first time. Today, it is time for reckoning, and the Catholic Church risks paying a high price.
Two years in hell
Gabriel, a victim of abuse at the age of 13, came to give his testimony. He tells us how his teacher at the Bastogne seminary also became his executioner for several years. Today, almost 30 years later, he is finally able to talk regarding it. “I met my partner, and it was a click. At one point we talked regarding pedophile priests. (…) It was really rape and it lasted for 2 years“.
He notably recounts how his holder at the time made him double up in order to be able to keep him with him longer. “For them, it was easy. They had a staff room, and they had what they needed next to it, children“, he declares. Years of suffering which have left their mark, “I’ve had help, but it’s still a horrible journey. (…) I no longer know how to get to Bastogne for example. Getting to the doors of the seminary is impossible“.
It’s unforgivable
In its reports, Flemish television really revealed a system of pedophile priests which was protected when there was a problem. There were never really any real sanctions. A question therefore arises: how will the church cope with everything we have just seen on television?
Tommy Scholtès, spokesperson for the Bishops of Belgium, spoke on this subject.”I obviously watched the shows, and it’s unforgivable. We must realize that for us too, it is a shame to see such suffering inflicted by people who were supposed to be witnesses to the gospel.“.
In order to protest these abuses by the church, many people have chosen to rebaptize themselves. Gabriel tried to do it, but did not succeed. “They are not into administrative simplification“, he explains. Although he did not succeed in renaming himself, he explains that “Anyway, unbaptized, I am one way or another“.
The CPTLJD show can be seen once more on our application RTL Play.
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