Tonton Roger
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The former bishop revealed in a televised interview that he engaged in a 'little game' with his nephews, reassuringly noting that he wasn't violent in his sex-capades with the boys, and that one of the boys seemed to enjoy it. The bishop's nonchalance is beyond creepy and cold.
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BRUSSELS, Belgium — A former bishop's televised admission that he sexually abused two of his nephews caused an uproar in Belgium on Friday, with the prime minister, senior clergy and a prosecutor expressing shock at the way the ex-prelate made light of his offenses.
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In an interview that aired Thursday Roger Vangheluwe, the former bishop of Bruges, spoke of his sexual abuse as "a little game," that involved fondling, but no "rough sex."
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"I was never naked" and the abuse was never about "real sexuality," said Vangheluwe, 74.
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He resigned as bishop in 2010 after admitting he had abused one of his nephews for 13 years — until the boy was 18. In the TV interview aired Thursday, he revealed that he had abused a second nephew "a few times, a couple of times, not for years."
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Vangheluwe apologized for the pain he had caused, but denied being a pedophile.
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"I never felt the least attraction to a child," he said.
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"And I still don't. From me toward him (the nephew) there was a bit of intimacy that occurred each time we saw one another. And of which we later said, 'That's not right.'"
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The abuse occurred at sleep-over family gatherings, Vangheluwe said.
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Throughout the interview, he sat relaxed, sometimes smiling and at times shrugging his shoulders as if to signal that the events he spoke of were not very serious. - Source
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Some thoughts.
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The bishop denies the sexual abuse was pedophilia - although it certainly appears to be the case. Although, as a layman, I think I'd call it homosexual-pedophilia. Experts can argue the terms all they want - but guys who have sex with boys and young men are gay - "they like... " - well you know. When I was growing up there were guys like the bishop around, who always serviced the boys. You heard about them from friends and schoolmates. There were guys who picked up hitchhikers, guys who sat in their car on kid's routes home from school, guys who tinkered in their garage. The phenomenon couldn't have been isolated to the Eastside of St. Paul. Perhaps in middle to upper class families, the predators were more often uncles, friends of the family, teachers, coaches, and even priests like the bishop. The fact is, there are and always have been, homosexual men who like young men and boys. Therefore - it isn't really pedophilia, it is gay.
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That said, the lack of remorse on the part of the perpetrator is perhaps more shocking than the sexual exploitation. I think it is obvious the predator believes he is doing the vulnerable kid a favor, and that because the victim responds physically and experiences sexual pleasure from the act, the predator believes he 'enjoys' it, and therefore convinces himself there is nothing wrong. For the predator I think this must bolster his conviction that boys - especially those experiencing for the first time sexual awareness, are open to any type of sexual gratification they can get. It seems to me it is a crime of opportunity - the predator is looking for - excuse me, there is no other way to say this: the predator is looking for a hot c---. Who is more vulnerable than a kid? Especially when the predator presents as a person with some authority. Just because the abuse stops at 18 or young manhood, I do not believe it constitutes pedophilia - rather it is homosexual. The predator just prefers young males. The men who abused me were not pedophiles - they were homosexuals.
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The death of conscience.
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I'm convinced that some people can and do deaden their conscience through repeated grave sin and rationalization of sinful behavior, to the extent they can no longer understand the gravity of their crimes, or lack any genuine remorse for what they have done. I found the following comment on The Deacon's Bench post regarding this story - it is frightening:
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19 deacon marv robertson
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Fr. Donald Cozzens asked this rhetorical question about clergy engaging in sex abuse of the young: “What kind of men are these?”
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He goes on to state, “I sensed little guilt for their seductions. The only regret I could identify was associated with being caught. For the most part, the men I worked with were more concerned about themselves and their futures than for their victims. From my relatively brief work with them I came to regard them as focused sociopaths—little or no moral sense, no feelings of guilt and remorse for what they had done in this area of their lives . . . The absence of remorse and concern for their victims continues to trouble me.”
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“Changing Face of the Priesthood,” Liturgical Press. 2000, p123
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Creepy.
