Vatican City, Jun 25, 2010 / 09:07 am
Pope Benedict named Bishop Jozef De Kesel as the new bishop of Bruges on Friday. He will replace Bishop Roger Joseph Vangheluwe who stepped down upon admitting to having sexually abused a minor.
The vacancy was left in the Diocese of Bruges after 73-year old Bishop Vangheluwe's resignation was accepted by the Holy Father on April 23. He admitted his guilt in abusing a minor as a priest and, later, as a bishop saying that amidst the "media storm" of recent months he could no longer keep his crimes secret.
Bishop De Kesel, the newly-nominated Bishop of Bruges, will soon take control of the diocese. He had been serving as the Titular bishop of Bulna, Belgium and as an Auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels since his consecration in 2002. He was also the vicar general for the Vicarate of Brussels.
Within the Belgian Bishops' Conference, he is the head of the Inter-diocesan Commission for the Liturgical Pastoral Care in the two languages of Belgium, Flemish and French, and the bishops' delegate to the Commission of Episcopates of the European Community.