Archbishop Jozef de Kesel of Brussels, who has been named by Pope
Francis to be elevated to the College of Cardinals, is facing renewed
criticism because of his decision to appoint a convicted child molester
to a post as a parish priest. In 2014, while serving as Bishop Bruges, the Belgian prelate appointed Father Tom Flamez, who had been found guilty of molesting a teenager in 2008, to become pastor of a parish in Middelkerke.
The bishop said that Father Flamez deserved a second chance, and carried through with the appointment despite a public protest from the town’s mayor.