Bishop Bonny resigns as abuse commissioner

Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp is giving up his responsibility for dealing with abuse in the Belgian Bishops' Conference. On Wednesday, the 69-year-old to the Belgian press his age and the emotional strain of the task as the reason for his decision: "I simply have no more strength. Even my doctor has asked me to stop." Bonny has been responsible for the topic of abuse in the Belgian church since 2010 and is therefore also the contact person for those affected by abuse. According to the Belgian Bishops' Conference, despite the resignation, it is guaranteed that abuse issues will not remain unresolved. A successor for Bonny should be appointed in mid-September.

Last year, Bonny had asked Pope Francis to appoint an auxiliary bishop to assist him due to the extent of his work as the person responsible for abuse. However, the Pope rejected the request, as the bishop announced at the beginning of July: "Among other things, because an unequal number of French- and Dutch-speaking bishops would disturb the balance of the Bishops' Conference, because the other bishops do not support my request and because both a priest and a layman could fulfil the tasks." Bonny then announced that he would reduce his duties. Bonny had already submitted his resignation to Pope Francis in 2023 following the broadcast of a television documentary, the bishop said in February: "After 'Godvergeten', I offered the Pope my resignation in order to concentrate fully on supporting the victims." However, the Pope has not accepted this for the time being.

Flemish public television had been broadcasting the series "Godvergeten" ("God Forgotten") since September 2023, in which those affected tell their stories. The documentary sparked a debate in Flanders about how to deal with the church. Parliament set up a committee of enquiry, before which Bonny testified. Bonny had Bonny had sharply criticised his predecessors after the broadcast. expressed sharp criticism of his predecessors. "I accuse them of not putting things right. That makes me angry," he said in a television interview about the generation of bishops before him. In March, Pope Francis dismissed the former Bishop of Bruges and confessed abuser and confessed abuser Roger Vangheluwe from the clergy after the Belgian bishopsafter the Belgian bishops had urged him to do so for years. The dragging out of the Vangheluwe case also overshadowed the Pope's visit to Belgium planned for September. Pope's visit to Belgium in September. At the beginning of July, the Belgian federal prosecutor's office announced that it had concluded its years-long investigation into the cover-up. However, charges against Vangheluwe, among others, will probably not be brought due to the statute of limitations. Pope Francis is also expected to meet with victims of abuse during his visit in September. (fxn)