Sometimes I am glad
that I cannot read other languages fluently. It insulates you from some pretty
nasty stuff. But this news should have emerged in the English-speaking world
long ago because it helps to explain why the Catholic Church in Belgium has been
racked by scandal in recent weeks. So far the worst has been the resignation of
Bishop Roger Vangheluwe, of Bruges, after having abused
his nephew before and during his time as bishop. But hundreds of allegations
are flooding in. Police have hauled Cardinal Godfried Danneels, until recently
the Primate of Belgium, over the coals about abuse cases which he allegedly
ignored.

From what cesspit did this filth bubble up? A member of the Belgian Parliament gives a very, very disturbing answer
in the conservative blog Brussels Journal. Dr Alexandra Colen, of the Flemish-secessionist
party Vlaams Blok, says that the Belgian
bishops ignored a controversial catechism, Roeach, edited by a professor
at the Catholic University of Leuven and a professor at the Seminary of
Bruges until she mounted a public campaign in newspapers and in the streets in
1997.

I told
Cardinal Danneels that, although I was a member of Parliament for the
Flemish-secessionist party Vlaams Blok, I was addressing him as a Catholic
parent “who wishes to remain faithful to the papal authority and also wishes to
educate her children this way.” I insisted that he forbid the use of this book
in the catechism lessons: “This is why I insist
– yes, the days of meekly asking are
over – that you forbid the use of this ‘catechism book’ in our children’s
classrooms.”

Today
this case, that dates from 12 years ago, assumes a new and ominous
significance. Especially now that I know that Mgr Roger Vangheluwe, the pedophile
child molesting Bishop of Bruges, was the supervising bishop of both
institutions – the Catholic University of Leuven and the Seminary of Bruges –
whence came the editors in chief of this perverted “catechism” textbook.

Monsignor
Vangheluwe not only entertained pedophile ideas, but also practiced them on his
11-year old nephew. Hundreds of children who were not raped physically were
molested spiritually during the catechism lessons.

Is there a better example of the saying that
“ideas have consequences”? Before the abuse crisis exploded, critics lambasted Cardinal Ratzinger for his conservative moral theology. But he knew full well where liberal moral theology was leading Catholic priests. As he said on Good Friday 2005: "What little
faith is present behind so many theories, so many empty words!
How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who,
in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him!"