Pope Francis deposed a former bishop who raped his nephews 14 years after his admission

He today deposed a former bishop in Belgium, who had admitted 14 years ago that he had sexually abused two of his nephews. Prosecutors of Belgium then explained that it was not possible to press charges against Vanheulee, since the offences had been set aside, but the Minister of Justice urged the Vatican to impose a strict sentence on him and so Pope Francis went on to depose. Roger Vanhelue, 87 years old today, was Bishop Briz from 1985 to 2010 when he resigned after the shalo caused by his admission that for 13 years he sexually abused a nephew. A year later, he revealed that he had sexually abused and his second nephew, arguing that he does not consider himself a pedophile. The Roman Catholic Church in Belgium today announced that Vanhelue was deposed by decision of Pope Francis. He clarified that the 87-year-old will remain in the abbey, where he has been living in isolation for the past few years. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Cro expressed his satisfaction, recalling that the government had urged the Vatican to act quickly. “It’s a right decision. He delayed, but it was necessary for the victims seeking justification,” he wrote in a post on the X platform (former Twitter). The Roman Catholic Church is shocked by sexual abuse scandals with leading priests in various countries of the world. Critics of Pope Francis blame the pontiff that he did not do enough to drive the perpetrators out of the Church’s bays and help their victims.