Godfried Danneels

 

Cardinal Godfried Danneels died today and although Pope Francis called him a 'Zealous Pastor' and John Allen declared him a 'gentleman', the truth is he was a bad person.  He tried to keep an abuse victim from reporting anything and was captured on tape doing it.  He led the Church in Belgium for many years while known as a leading liberal who was part of the group that pushed for Pope Francis to be elected.  So what do you think happened to his Church?  Exactly what one would expect as this older article in the Catholic Herald shows:  Belgium’s crisis of faith. 

 

 

"More so even than most European countries, it looks as if Belgian Catholicism has been living off the glories of previous centuries rather than having much to say to modern society. Certainly, most of the country’s nominal Catholics seem to have little interest in it. Unless it rediscovers a sense of purpose, there is a serious risk of the Church becoming little more than a government-funded heritage agency for the preservation of ancient churches."