On the following Saturday, Antwerp public prosecutor’s office reported: “The initial findings by the police, the lab and the forensic doctor and in this phase of the investigation show that the two men had used ecstasy and poppers [a liquid drug that relaxes the muscles] together and had sex.”
Two ecstasy pills were also found in the rectory. It is not clear whom the drugs belonged to.
Suspected of trafficking narcotics
A post-mortem examination performed on Saturday could not determine the clergyman’s cause of death. Toxicology tests have since been ordered to show whether the English priest died as a result of drug use.
Bernard has already been brought before an investigating judge, who decided after questioning to arrest the 60-year-old and transfer him to a prison. The priest is suspected of trafficking narcotics resulting in death.
The Belgian newspaper reported his absence was noted at Sunday mass in the small Belgian parish of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Essen-Kalmthout.
Just before 11am, the sound of church bells echoed through the village and about 40 parishioners shuffled through the entrance of the Sint-Jozefskerk.
Blue police tape had been hanging on the door there for three days and the building was sealed because of a judicial investigation.
‘Priests often live a lonely existence’
Eddy Marstboom, the 84-year-old chairman of the church council, broke the news to a silent congregation. “A painful incident occurred in our rectory during the night from Thursday to Friday,” Marstboom said.
“The true circumstances of the incident are extraordinary,” he said, before adding: “I don’t want to say more about it. Bernard had been working in the parish for five years and was previously also dean in Antwerp-South.”
Marstboom said: “Bernard is a dedicated priest. He did his job well, liked to mingle with people after church services and was greatly appreciated for that. But admittedly, all of this is also a complete surprise to us. We now mainly hope that the law will do its job quickly because I can well imagine that this is particularly difficult for him.”
“Well, priests often live a lonely existence,” a churchgoer responded afterwards. “They often fall back on themselves and, of course, they also have human needs. It is a disaster that he is being portrayed in such a bad light.”
An older woman shook her head: “I hope he gets off easy, although I do fear that he will never be able to start over as a pastor - he has now been given a label that he can’t get rid of.”
On October 3, Bernard will appear before the council chamber. In addition to criminal proceedings, the bishop will have to decide whether Bernard can ever work in the church again.
