Belgian priest arrested after deadly night of sex and drugs with British cleric

A British clergyman died after a night of sex and drugs with a Belgian priest who has since been arrested on drug-related charges, Belgian authorities said on Saturday.

The 69-year-old, who has not been named, was spending the evening with his fellow cleric, 60, at a clergy house in Kalmthout north of Antwerp on Thursday when he became unwell, the prosecutor office said.

Shortly after midnight, the Belgian priest called the emergency services, who could not resuscitate his companion.

“It appears that the two men had used ecstasy and poppers together and had had sex. Two ecstasy pills were also found,” the prosecutor’s office said.

An investigation was ongoing and an autopsy could not immediately provide any conclusive information into the exact cause of the death, it added. The 60-year-old priest was questioned by the investigating judge and placed under arrest.

He is facing charges of drug trafficking resulting in death.

Pope Francis was in Belgium on Saturday and met with 17 survivors of clergy sexual abuse suffering from trauma, at the meeting he said the church would “offer all the help we can” to aid the victims.