BishopAccountability.org
	Belgian Archbishop's Aide Quits over Comments By John W. Miller Wall Street Journal November 2, 2010 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703778304575590564056649580.html?mod=googlenews_wsj Jurgen Mettepenningen resigned as the top spokesman for the Catholic Church in Belgium to protest recent comments about homosexuality and abuse scandals made by his boss, Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard. A senior Vatican official said support for Archbishop Leonard remained strong in Rome, adding that his comments had been widely "misinterpreted." The Vatican typically ousts bishops only for acts such as committing abuse themselves or publicly defying the pope's authority by consecrating priests as new bishops. Still, Mr. Mettepenningen's departure on Tuesday is a rare act of rebellion for a Catholic theologian, and exposes divisions within the church as it tries to face up to decades of widespread unpunished sexual abuse by its priests. Archbishop Leonard, Belgium's top Catholic leader, recently answered a reporter's question about whether AIDS is God's punishment for homosexuality by comparing sexual promiscuity to mistreating the environment, and calling the disease "inherent justice." He also said that pedophile priests should be forgiven and that punishing them long after the facts was akin to "revenge." The archbishop couldn't be reached to comment. His comment caused a stir in a country hit hard by the abuse scandal. Bishop Roger Vangheluwe of Bruges, a once-respected leader, admitted this spring to raping his nephew for years. He resigned and currently is in hiding, but because the crime occurred two decades ago, he has escaped punishment from the law or the Vatican. A recent study commissioned by the church highlighted 497 cases of previously undocumented abuse. The church has said it won't compensate those victims, agreeing only to pay some therapy costs. In June, Belgian federal investigators raided church headquarters, seeking documents showing cover-ups of abuse. A judge ruled the raid illegal and the documents had to be returned. The special commission appointed by the church to investigate abuse resigned in protest. Archbishop Leonard has been called insensitive, and even criminal, by politicians, liberal Catholics and victims' rights groups. On Tuesday, Jean-Marie de Meester, a socialist member of the Belgian Parliament, filed a charge with Belgium's antiracism center alleging that Archbishop Leonard had broken the law with his antigay remarks. The archbishop's comments ultimately pushed his spokesman to quit. "He thinks everybody else is wrong," said Mr. Mettepenningen during a news conference in Grimbergen, a suburb north of Brussels. "I was his GPS for three months. But it is the driver who has his hands on the wheel and sets the course." Mr. Mettepenningen said his boss had promised to abstain from excessively controversial statements. He called the archbishop a "loose cannon." Mr. Mettepenningen is a 35-year-old father of two and a theologian from Belgium's Dutch-speaking north. He is the author of "New Theology: Inheritor of Modernism, Precursor of Vatican II." In Belgium, church officials say he is respected for his work on the church's relationship with the media. At a Mass he celebrated Monday, Mgr. Leonard acknowledged his rhetoric was controversial to some. "I understand your concerns," he said, according to wire reports. "It is what it is. Think of it as you will, with the help of God." —Stacy Meichtry contributed to this article. Write to John W. Miller at john.miller@dowjones.com
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