Antwerp Bishop Bonny in the House: “I offered my resignation to the Pope after ‘Godforsaken’” | Domestic

The shocking testimonies about sexual abuse in the church that emerged in the VRT series ‘Godforgotten’ in September last year also left a deep impression on Antwerp Bishop Johan Bonny. For the first time, he admits that during that period he asked the Pope to resign his office as bishop. “I have offered him my resignation,” Bonny revealed in Parliament to MPs conducting an investigation into how the church has dealt with sexual abuse of minors.

Bonny is said to have done this because he saw the need to fully dedicate himself to supporting victims. However, according to his spokesperson, the Pope has not responded to this for the time being. What means that Bonny must continue to perform his official duties as bishop.

However, in recent months the bishop has focused even more on counseling victims. “I did that before, but now I want to be there for all victims of abuse. Also for those who became victims outside the Church. I want to help them find the right help or file a complaint with the right hotlines. In December, I personally took another victim of abuse – which did not occur within the church – to a hotline. I determined that that person might not have gotten there without my help.”

According to the bishop, this shows that there is a need for more guidance for victims of abuse, not only within the Church. “The Church has been targeted for months now, but this is actually a much broader social problem. It is not just us that has to deal with this.”