Bishop Luc Van Looy, the former Bishop of Ghent, has asked Pope Francis not to include him among the prelates who will be elevated to the College of Cardinals on August 27. The Pope has accepted the request.

The Belgian bishops’ conference explained that Bishop Van Looy had asked that his name be withdrawn because of controversy over his handling of sex-abuse charges during his tenure as Bishop of Ghent.

The Belgian bishop, who is 80 years old, would not have been eligible to vote in a papal conclave.