A British priest died after a night of sex and drugs with one 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 priest, 60, at a rectory in Kalmthout, north of Antwerp, on Thursday when he fell ill, prosecutors said.
Just after midnight, the Belgian priest called the emergency services, which were unable to revive his companion.
“It appears that the two men had used ecstasy and poppers together and 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 on the exact cause of death, it added. The 60-year-old priest was questioned by the investigating judge and arrested.
He is charged with drug trafficking resulting in death.
Pope Francis was in Belgium on Saturday and met with 17 survivors of sexual abuse by priests who suffered trauma, at the meeting said the church would “offer all the help we can” to help the victims.