On 23 April 2010,
Pope Benedict XVI accepted Vangheluwe's resignation after his admission that he had repeatedly
sexually abused his nephew for 13 years, starting when the boy was five years old. The abuse began when Vangheluwe was a priest and continued after he became a bishop. His is the first episcopal resignation in Belgium relating to the sexual abuse of minors. At the time Vangheluwe was Belgium's longest serving bishop, a year shy of the standard retirement age of 75.
Retirement On 26 April 2010, it was reported that Vangheluwe had retired to
Westvleteren Abbey with a state pension of about US$3,600 a month. In September 2010, Vangheluwe announced he was leaving the abbey and that "as of today, I will contemplate my life and future somewhere hidden, outside the bishopric of Bruges". He was reported to be living in an abbey in the Loire Valley. On 12 April 2011, the
Holy See Press Office announced that the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had ruled that Vangheluwe must leave Belgium and undergo spiritual and psychological treatment. Its statement said that "he is not allowed any public exercise of priestly or episcopal ministry. The psychological treatment is provided by the Congregation to obtain additional information useful for diagnosis and prognosis, to come to a final decision, which remains the responsibility of the congregation itself, and to be approved by the Holy Father. This decision will of course take into account the different aspects of the issue, beginning with the suffering of the victims and the needs of justice. The process is still ongoing and therefore the decision taken so far by the Congregation is provisional and not final." On 14 April 2011, Vangheluwe gave an interview to Flemish TV station VT4. In the interview, he admitted to abusing another nephew. He also stated that he did not see himself as a
pedophile. The interview caused indignation in Belgium. On 24 April 2011, Archbishop
André-Joseph Léonard strongly condemned the interview, noting that the Vatican had insisted that Vangheluwe remain silent. He called the interview "shocking".
Laicization In a decision made known to Vangheluwe on 20 March 2024,
Pope Francis laicized Vangheluwe, as
Belgium's bishops had long advocated, on the recommendation of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which had conducted a re-examination of his case, which included hearing testimony from Vangheluwe, following new charges brought against him. The announcement made by the
Apostolic Nunciature to Belgium said that the former bishop "asked to be able to
reside in a place of retreat, without any contact with the outside world". ==In popular culture ==