Van Tigchelt’s initiative is in flagrant violation of the separation of powers and the separation between church and state, says Van Cauter. “It is strange and contradictory that a liberal minister expects more justice from the Vatican, an absolute monarchy, than from the Belgian court,” says the lawyer, who believes that the file lends itself to a certain profiling. “The minister uses his connections with other member states for his own political gain.”
According to Van Cauter, Van Tigchelt’s action means that admissible criminal proceedings are no longer possible in Belgium. “For the Belgian justice system, the file is definitively buried,” said Vangheluwe’s lawyer. “A minister is not expected to interfere in religious matters. I find it very serious. There are already ministers who have resigned for less.”