The Telegraph UK
written by Staff
Friday April, 2011
A former Catholic bishop is facing calls for prosecution after he denied being a paedophile despite admitting to sexually abusing two of his own nephews, claiming they enjoyed it.
Roger Vangheluwe, 74, the former bishop of Bruges, said the abuse he committed was only "superficial".
"I don't have the impression at all that I am a paedophile. It was really just a small relationship. I did not have the feeling that my nephew was against it, quite the contrary," he said.
He left Belgium last week under Vatican orders to seek "spiritual and psychological treatment" abroad and Belgian media say he is now in a French monastery. The Vatican has said the final decision on disciplining him lies with Pope Benedict.
Vangheluwe admitted abusing one of his nephews over a 13-year period, until the boy was 18, and a second nephew for a period of 12 months.
Stefaan De Clercq, Belgium's justice minister, said: "The Church must take up this case and see what sanction it should impose. It should be much more severe and much more complete than what has been said up until now.
"We expect the Church to punish him," he said. "They told him to leave the country – that was also to shut him up. Making comments trying to minimise what happened is unacceptable."
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