Roger Vangheluwe, the former Roman Catholic bishop of Bruges who became the central figure in one of Belgium's most damaging clerical abuse scandals, died on Wednesday at the age of 89. His death was announced by the Belgian bishops' conference, which confirmed he had been buried in "strict intimacy" at an undisclosed location. The announcement immediately reignited public debate about accountability, victim recognition, and the Catholic Church's handling of sexual abuse.

Vangheluwe was appointed bishop of Bruges, a historic city in the Flemish region of northwestern Belgium, in 1984 and spent 25 years as a widely respected figure in the Catholic community, known for advocating a greater role for women in the Church. His reputation collapsed in spring 2010 when it emerged that he had repeatedly sexually abused his underage nephew over many years — abuse that had begun before his appointment as bishop and continued afterwards. He resigned immediately, withdrew to a monastery, and in a television interview in 2011 admitted the abuse, also disclosing that a second nephew had been victimised. Further allegations followed, including from a man who said he had been abused as an altar boy in the early 1970s. Criminal proceedings were opened but dropped because the offences had passed the statute of limitations. Only in 2024, following testimony in the VRT documentary Godvergeten, did Pope Francis strip Vangheluwe of his clerical status and all rights associated with his roles as priest and bishop — a step Vangheluwe had long resisted.

The revelations triggered Operation Chalice (Operatie Kelk), a sweeping investigation into sexual abuse across the Belgian Church that uncovered dozens of cases involving Catholic clergy. Yet for victims and their advocates, justice has remained elusive. Walter Van Steenbrugge, the lawyer representing Vangheluwe's nephew and other survivors, said the former bishop "never uttered a single word of remorse" and described his conduct throughout legal proceedings as one of "denial, ignoring, and minimising." Van Steenbrugge condemned the Church's financial response as inadequate, calling past payments through an arbitration commission "alms," and called for an independent reparations fund as recommended by a parliamentary inquiry. A number of survivors are set to pursue separate civil damages claims next year.

The reaction to the death exposed ongoing tensions within the Church itself. Antwerp bishop Johan Bonny initially called on people to "turn the page" following Vangheluwe's passing, a remark that drew sharp criticism from survivors. Linda Opdebeeck, herself a victim of clerical abuse, challenged the framing: "Why should victims of sexual abuse suddenly have to turn the page?" Bonny later clarified his words, acknowledging that survivors were rightly focused on what had been done to them rather than on Vangheluwe. "The chapters continue. That book is not finished," he said.

The Belgian bishops' conference, in announcing the death, acknowledged that the news would cause fresh distress for victims. "The bishops recognise the lasting suffering that sexual abuse within the Church has caused and reaffirm their commitment to recognition and care for survivors," the statement read. For Van Steenbrugge, that language rings hollow without concrete action. "They always say they mean well by the victims," he said, "but the victims no longer believe those words."