BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)
Brussels Times [Brussels, Belgium]
February 26, 2025
By The Brussels Times with Belga
Former federal parliamentarian Jessika Soors has been appointed National Coordinator for the fight against sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
The Dignity Foundation, created by the Church to handle reports of sexual violence by religious leaders, announced her appointment on Wednesday.
Soors, 36, was briefly a Groen parliamentarian before resigning in 2020 to join the office of then Secretary of State for Gender Equality Sarah Schlitz as her political director.
She then moved to the Flemish administration, where she worked on recognising local religious communities.
Soors’ role will involve coordinating and independently implementing the Catholic Church’s policies against sexual violence.
Archbishop Luc Terlinden of Mechelen-Brussels described her as a key figure in the Church’s renewed action plan to combat sexual abuse within pastoral relationships.