The priest, Bernard D., called the emergency services last Thursday, shortly after midnight, following his colleague’s discomfort. They had sex together, using ecstasy and poppers. Emergency services attempted to resuscitate the man, but to no avail. Called to the scene, the police, the scientific laboratory and the forensic doctor carried out the first findings and discovered traces of narcotics on the body.
Father Bernard, prosecuted for drug trafficking leading to death, finally released on conditions
A priest with “exemplary” behavior
The victim, Andrew W., was the priest of the English-speaking community of Antwerp for many years. The man had returned to the UK after retiring. For his part, Father Bernard became a priest at 34 years old. Before that, he worked in the insurance sector. He is described by the faithful as “exemplary” in his mission as a priest. He was active in ten municipalities (five in Essen and five in Kalmthout), and chaplain in two French-speaking scout groups in Antwerp.
The Belgian priest arrested following a “chemsex” evening which cost the life of his British counterpart will appear this Thursday: “A very strange story”
Following this affair which went around the world, the spokesperson for Mgr. Johan Bonny, bishop of Antwerp, expressed his indignation. “Like all members of the staff and the faithful, he was very shocked,” explained Nathalie Milio in our columns at the end of last week. “The diocese was not informed and was in fact unaware of anything. This is a very strange story, about which we have not received any information. The bishop knows Bernard well and knows that he does a good job in the parish and that everyone had a good opinion of him. So we didn’t expect that. We now have to wait for the investigation.”
