Book Recommendation
- Francis
- February 9, 2026
- Source language: English
Flanders was almost in shock when the series Godvergeten aired on television. The testimonies about abuse within the Church were so gripping and candid that the public outrage over what happened has not subsided since. In 2026, a follow-up to Godvergeten will be broadcast.
In both programs, Jan Puype plays a painful central role. As a young boy in the 1980s, he was abused for nearly three years by a priest-monk at a boarding school in Waregem. He now tells his dramatic life story — including his two meetings with two popes — in an honest, unvarnished, and raw way. It grabs you by the throat and leaves you with so many questions about how something like this could have happened…
This book is a personal testimony that covers two main themes: a detailed account of the sexual abuse Jan Puype endured as a child at a Catholic boarding school, and the long confrontation he later had with the Catholic Church in his search for recognition and justice.
He also shares, for the first time in book form, his experiences meeting both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, describing how those encounters fit into his broader search for accountability and recognition.
The book is written in a simple, straightforward, fact-based style. Puype relies heavily on direct quotations from the Church’s own official letters, emails, and statements, allowing the institution to speak in its own words. Those documents, placed alongside his personal testimony, highlight even more starkly how deficient and inadequate the Church’s handling of sexual abuse cases has been. 5 stars. Recommended.