The bishop serving as the Belgian Church’s point man on abuse is stepping down, weeks before a papal visit that could be overshadowed by the country’s abuse crisis.
Bishop Johan Bonny confirmed July 25 that he was withdrawing from the high-profile role, citing an excessive workload that he said was taking a toll on his health.
His departure leaves the Belgian Church scrambling to find a successor before Pope Francis’ Sept. 26-29 visit, which is expected to include a private meeting with abuse survivors.
The 69-year-old bishop decided to step back from the role after he appealed unsuccessfully to Rome for an auxiliary bishop to help him oversee his Diocese of Antwerp, which serves around 1.2 million Catholics.
In a letter published July 1, Bonny said the Vatican had denied his request partly because it would upset the balance between French-speaking and Flemish-speaking bishops within Belgium’s bishops’ conference.
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