Fr. Francois Houtart, a strong promoter of Marxist liberation theology, has admitted to sexually abusing a minor.
The Belgian priest, currently living in Ecuador told the newspaper Le
Soir on Dec. 29 that he “touched the private parts” his eight-year-old
cousin nearly 40 years ago.
He said that the abuse occurred on two different occasions.
The attorney general in Lieja, Cedric Visart de Bocarme, told the
Belgium daily L’Viv/L’Express that an investigation into the case has
been opened to determine if there were other victims of abuse by
Houtart.
Known by his admirers as the “anti-globalization pope,” the 85
year-old Houtart told Le Soir he has asked his supporters to suspend
their campaign to nominate him for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
He has
also resigned from the Tricontinental Center, the NGO he founded in
Louvain.
In its Jan. 6 edition, L’Viv/L’Express reported that Houtart’s
confession has sparked outrage in “thousands of people in
French-speaking Belgium—and in many people in Latin America.”
SIC: CNA/INT'L