The fact that the ecclesiastical community has been guilty of sexual violence for many years weakens the moral authority of the Church, declared the rector of KU Leuven, Luc Sels, on Friday in his speech to Pope Francis at the University of Louvain. He also criticized the way the Church treats the rights of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex (LGBTQ+) people.
“The shock caused by sexual violence and the way in which it has been discussed and judged in the past weakens the moral authority with which the Church can express itself in our Western world.“, affirmed Luc Sels.
“To restore some of this trust, an honest, committed and warm dialogue with victims is necessary, a dialogue in which mistakes are openly acknowledged. I was very happy with your response to the invitation of our King and our Prime Minister“, added the Louvanist to the address of the sovereign pontiff.
“Why do we tolerate this great difference between men and women, in a Church which is de facto so often supported by women?“
