Utterly and totally disgraced paedophile Bishop discovered celebrating Mass at French Monastery

14 July 2022 was a big Feast Day at St Peter's Abbey of Solesmes, a Benedictine abbey on the outskirts of the French city of Le Mans. Not surprisingly, the French celebrate their bank holidays on 14 July. But there was more going on in Solesmes: 43-year-old Geoffroy Kemlin was installed as abbot there that day.

'It was 30 years since we had a new father abbot,' says Father Rochon, spokesman for the abbey. 'Our abbots usually stay in post for a long time: Geoffroy Kemlin is only the seventh in the history of our congregation.'

The small church in Solesmes was almost bursting at the seams in July, so numerous were the clergy - including representatives of the Anglican and Greek Orthodox churches - who crowded together to catch a glimpse of Yves Le Saux, Bishop of Le Mans, who would bless Kemlin. 'Those who could not find a seat in the church,' says Fr Rochon, 'could go to the building of our women religious, three hundred metres away. They streamed the installation live.'

A nearly three-hour-long church ceremony that no one, except lovers of the genre, watches for pleasure. Yet it is wildly interesting. As the clergy make their entrance after 15 minutes, a silhouette that seems somehow familiar appears in the long line of shuffling priests with folded hands. Moments later, the man comes into sharper focus: a hunched elder with glasses and a grey beard takes a deep bow, gropes for the church chairs in front of him, then walks to his seat. He takes his seat among the ordinary priests. He no longer wears a mitre, staff or ring, the outward signs of a bishop. But it is indeed Roger Vangheluwe, the former Bishop of Bruges, who left office after a paedophilia scandal broke out in 2010.

Vangheluwe, who confessed to the sexual abuse of his nephew, did not have to surrender the title of Bishop. Nor was he ever punished by the church. He did, however, have to live "in secrecy". Last year, Humo published that the hidden place was the French abbey of Solesmes - far enough away from the Belgian border, but now not too far either.

Read also: Humo searched and found Vangheluwe's hideout: 'He knows too much, they are waiting for him to die'

But back to the blessing by the Bishop: only after two hours and forty-three minutes does Vangheluwe reappear, as he leaves the church. He leaves as he came: he puts his hand on the bench, takes a bow and goes. The now 86-year-old Vangheluwe has visibly aged over the years. He also appears emaciated: he has lost his sense of well-being.

Father Rochon, spokesman for Benedictines, is not so elated when the name of the Belgian attendee comes up. But neither does he want to lie. So he says: "I think Mr Vangheluwe was there."

The installation in Solesmes is Vangheluwe's first public appearance since he briefly left his hidden life in 2014 to give a notorious interview to VT4, in which he showed no guilt. For his superiors, that was the signal to keep him inside for good. But now he is allowed to rejoin a big church celebration, which is also being filmed. Does this quietly end his stay in hiding?

'I have nothing to say about this,' Father Rochon declares.

Joris Van Cauter, Roger Vangheluwe's lawyer, is also brief: 'I know nothing about a church service, let alone the presence of Roger Vangheluwe. So his return to public life seems pretty relative to me.'

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