Churches in Belgium are facing mounting protests following the release of a TV film about abuses and cover-ups by parishioners, and the government’s data protection agency says the Diocese of Ghent must “debaptize” individuals. The decision was appealed. sauce: Tablet.
When Catholics ask to have their names removed from their baptismal records, authorities typically add a note to their files stating that they have renounced their baptism without removing their names from the official register.
Although the church considers baptism to be a permanent act that cannot be erased, authorities ruled in December that the plaintiffs’ personal data records outweighed the church’s interest in preserving those records.
The number of “debaptism” applications peaked at 5,237 in 2021, when the Vatican announced it could no longer bless same-sex marriages, but it is reported to have declined again after the TV series. Gottwergeten (forgotten by god) Last September, the Belgian scandal was depicted.
“We were very surprised by this decision, as the Irish Data Protection Authority had made a contrary decision several months ago in a complaint against the Archdiocese of Dublin,” church spokesperson Geert de Kerpel told church news site told Kerknet.
“Data protection is a European law. A similar lawsuit may not be governed by privacy laws in one European country and may conflict with privacy laws in another.”
In Germany, the state collects a Kirchensteuer (church tax) on the church, and individuals can officially leave the church and therefore do not have to pay taxes, but being baptized does not remain.
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Belgian Church protests ‘debaptism’ order amid abuse protests (by Tom Heneghan) Tablet)