Belgian bishop declines to comment on deceased priests’ alleged ‘life partners’

(LifeSiteNews) — The Diocese of Namur in Belgium has said it will make no further statements after questions arose over obituaries referring to Belgian priests’ alleged “life partners.”

On February 20, the Diocese of Namur informed LifeSiteNews that it would not provide additional comments regarding obituary notices referring to alleged “life partners” of two deceased priests, Abbé Maurice Léonard and Abbé Marc Otjacques, after a previous report highlighted the discrepancies between diocesan death notices and family obituaries.

The diocese instead referred to an earlier interview given by Vicar General Canon Joël Rochette – in which he stated that the revelations “puzzled” diocesan officials – and stated that no further official reaction would be issued.

READ: Obituaries of two Belgian priests suggest they had illegitimate ‘partners’

“The canon Rochette, vicar general of the Diocese of Namur, has already responded in an interview, and does not wish to give any further interviews. There will therefore be no comments from the bishop on this matter,” a diocesan representative wrote in a reply to LifeSiteNews.

The diocesan response directed attention to a January 30 interview in the local news outlet Cathobel, in which Rochette addressed questions raised by the obituary of Maurice Léonard, a retired priest of Namur Diocese who died on January 16. The family announcement of Léonard’s death identified Sylvie Rase as his compagne de vie (“life partner”) and mentioned enfants du coeur (“children of heart”) and grandchildren, wording that prompted questions since Léonard had been a Catholic priest.

According to Rochette, diocesan officials had limited knowledge of Léonard’s circumstances following his retirement from ministry in 2015. He stated that Léonard had previously indicated that he was hosting a family with children and had sought a large residence in retirement in order to accommodate them. Rochette also noted that Léonard had withdrawn from pastoral work and no longer maintained regular contact with diocesan authorities.

“So he was sharing an intimate life with a woman?” the vicar general wondered. “The bishop was not aware of this. We are surprised and somewhat puzzled.”

Rochette said the diocese was uncertain how to interpret the references contained in the family obituary. “We do not really know what his connection with this lady was, nor what the expression ‘compagne de vie’ is meant to imply for a man over 80,” he said, adding that he was not certain that the priest had maintained a marital-type relationship.

The vicar general also questioned whether the wording of the announcement reflected Léonard’s own wishes. Rochette also recalled that, according to canon law, “if the marital-style relationship continues after several requests from the bishop, the priest can no longer retain his canonical mission. But if he is retired, there’s not much that can be done anymore.”

Rochette stated that “these cases do not give ammunition to those who would like to allow priests to live as couples” and that “there is no kind of battle over the issue.” However, in 2010 at least two bishops from Belgium – in two separate statements – had proposed abolishing priestly celibacy, namely Bishop Patrick Hoogmartens (Hasselt) and Archishop Jozef De Kesel (Bruges).

READ: This dissident laicized priest wants the Church to abandon mandatory clerical celibacy

Even if the “very large majority” of priests are “happy in their celibacy,” Rochette admits that there are some priests who “have long‑standing situations of relational ambiguity.” In addition to that, “there are a few, very rare cases of priests who quite openly lead a double life. These are mostly retirees, from a certain generation.”

Regarding the priests who decide to leave the ministry after falling in love, the priest stated that “obviously, that is their freedom. There is a certain coherence in that, and it is done transparently with diocesan authorities. We remain brothers.”

However, Rochette’s interview did not include detailed comment on the earlier death of Marc Otjacques, another priest from the Andenne area whose family obituary similarly referred to a “life partner” and “children of the heart.”

Canon 1037 of the Catholic Church states that a man cannot be ordained a deacon unless he has publicly taken on the obligation of celibacy before God and the Church. Furthermore, canon 1395 §1 explains what happens if this obligation is violated: a cleric who lives in concubinage or persists in another public sin against the Sixth Commandment that causes scandal may face just penalties, including suspension. If he continues even after being warned, he may be dismissed from the clerical state.

A priest, even after so‑called “retirement,” remains fully subject to the diocesan bishop, and the obligation of celibacy lasts for life. Moreover, according to canon 384, the bishop has the duty to watch over the life and discipline of clerics, including those who are no longer in active ministry.