Pope Francis said on Saturday (September 28, 2024) the Catholic Church must learn from victims of child sexual abuse, as he was pressed on the issue on the second day of his Belgium visit partially overshadowed by past scandals.

Replying at a meeting in Brussels to a scripted question by a representative of an organisation helping abuse victims, the pontiff acknowledged the “atrocious suffering and wounds” caused by the Church.

“There is a need for a great deal of mercy to keep us from hardening our hearts before the suffering of victims, so that we can help them feel our closeness,” Francis said at the meeting with clergy and pastoral workers, a day after meeting with a group of Belgian abuse victims.

“We must learn from them, as you said, to be a Church at the service of all without belittling anyone,” the 87-year-old pope told the gathering at the vast Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, one of the largest churches in the world.

“Indeed, one of the roots of violence stems from the abuse of power when we use the positions we have to crush or manipulate others.”

His words came in response to Mia De Schamphelaere, a Belgian politician and the coordinator of a Flemish centre for abuse victims, who asked how the Church could learn from its mistakes and create a safe environment for everyone.

Decades of scandals and cover-ups have loomed large over the pope’s visit to Belgium, where a hard-hitting documentary last year put the issue back on front pages, prompting new victims to come forward.

On Friday evening, 17 clerical sexual assault victims shared their stories and expressed their expectations to the pope, who “took note” of their requests, according to the Vatican.

In an open letter this month, some victims had demanded the pontiff address paedophilia and set up a process for financial reparations.

Beginning his visit on Friday, Francis said the Church had to “seek forgiveness”, calling child sexual abuse “our shame and our humiliation,” after being questioned on the issue by King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

In a more jovial atmosphere on Saturday, Francis blessed children after his remarks, taking selfies and shaking hands with a crowd of faithful that greeted him at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Early in the morning, the Argentinian Jesuit went to another church in the city to share breakfast with homeless people and migrants.

He was later due to hold discussions with students at Louvain-la-Neuve in French-speaking Wallonia, notably on climate issues, before concluding his visit on Sunday with an open-air mass.

Rome:

Pope Francis said Friday that the Catholic Church must “seek forgiveness” over the “scourge” of child sexual abuse, during a visit to Belgium where the Church’s dark past looms large.

In a speech before political and civil society leaders that opened his three-day visit to the country, Francis denounced the “tragic instances of child abuse” as a stain on the Church’s legacy.

“It is our shame and our humiliation,” Francis told the gathering at the Laeken Palace royal residency.

“The Church must be ashamed and must seek forgiveness,” he said.

The 87-year-old pontiff is due to meet with a group of clerical sexual assault victims in Brussels in the afternoon, as part of a three-day stay in the European nation tarred by decades of scandals and cover-ups.

The meeting with around 15 victims, taking place at 6:30 pm (1630 GMT) at the Vatican’s diplomatic mission, was being held with the “utmost discretion”, according to the Belgian church.

It was arranged after a hard-hitting documentary last year put Belgium’s abuse scandal back on the front pages, prompting many new victims to come forward.

In an open letter published by Le Soir newspaper this month, some demanded the pope address paedophilia and set up a process for financial reparations.

“Words alone are not enough. Concrete measures must also be taken,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a preamble to the pope’s speech.

The pontiff said the abuse scandal was “a scourge that the Church is addressing firmly and decisively by listening to and accompanying those who have been wounded, and by implementing a prevention programme throughout the world”.

Forced adoptions

Francis has made combating sexual assault in the Church a main mission of his papacy, and insisted on a “zero tolerance” policy in the wake of wide-reaching abuse scandals around the world.

During his speech, Francis also said he was “saddened” to learn about a forced adoptions scandal in Belgium that saw institutions run by nuns give up the babies of thousands of underage girls and unmarried women.

“We see how the bitter fruit of wrongdoing and criminality was mixed in with what was unfortunately the prevailing view in all parts of society at that time,” he said.

Belgium’s HLN news site estimates that up to 30,000 children were taken from their mothers in Belgium between 1945 and the 1980s.

Bishops in Belgium apologised in 2023 and requested an independent investigation after fresh testimonies emerged from women and people claiming to have been “sold” by the Catholic Church to their adoptive family.

Child sexual abuse and forced adoptions have “badly damaged trust” between the Church and society, De Croo said.

In a sign of the work yet to be done, the program of an open-air mass concluding Francis’s trip on Sunday had to be changed at the last minute after it emerged that the closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual abuse.

The blunder prompted the head of the Belgian bishops’ conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the Church needed to get better at keeping a tab on cases and perpetrators.

“This represents a great challenge for us, but we must think about it seriously with the help of lawyers and psychologists,” he told a local broadcaster. The composer, who died this month, reportedly settled a sexual abuse case in 2002.

On the wane

The Argentinian pope arrived in Belgium on Thursday evening after spending the day in neighbouring Luxembourg, where he made a plea for international diplomacy amid flaring conflicts across the globe.

He was welcomed by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who hosted him on Friday morning, and he will head on to meet with academics at the Catholic university of Leuven in Dutch-speaking Flanders — whose 600th anniversary next year is the official reason for Francis’s visit.

On Saturday, during what is his 46th trip abroad, Francis will meet the clergy at the vast Basilica of the Sacred Heart before holding discussions with students at Louvain-la-Neuve in French-speaking Wallonia, notably on climate issues.

The last papal visit to Brussels was in 1995, when John Paul II attended the beatification of Saint Damien, who dedicated his life to lepers.

Nearly 65 percent of Belgium’s population is Christian, including 58 percent who are Catholic, according to figures from Louvain university.

But their numbers are on the wane, reflecting a decline across Europe.

During his weekly general audience, Francis said he hoped his visit could be “the opportunity for a new impetus of faith”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pope Francis reacts during a meeting with Belgium’s authorities and civil society in Brussels, Belgium on September 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Pope Francis said on Friday (September 27, 2024) that the Catholic Church must “seek forgiveness” over the “scourge” of child sexual abuse, during a visit to Belgium where the Church’s dark past looms large.

In a speech before political and civil society leaders that opened his three-day visit to the country, Pope Francis denounced the “tragic instances of child abuse” as a stain on the Church’s legacy.

“It is our shame and our humiliation,” Francis told the gathering at the Laeken Palace royal residency.

“The Church must be ashamed and must seek forgiveness,” he said.

The 87-year-old pontiff is due to meet with a group of clerical sexual assault victims in Brussels in the afternoon, as part of a three-day stay in the European nation tarred by decades of scandals and cover-ups.

The meeting with around 15 victims, taking place at 6:30 pm (1630 GMT) at the Vatican’s diplomatic mission, was being held with the “utmost discretion”, according to the Belgian church.

It was arranged after a hard-hitting documentary last year put Belgium’s abuse scandal back on the front pages, prompting many new victims to come forward.

In an open letter published by Le Soir newspaper this month, some demanded the pope address paedophilia and set up a process for financial reparations.

“Words alone are not enough. Concrete measures must also be taken,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a preamble to the Pope’s speech.

The pontiff said the abuse scandal was “a scourge that the Church is addressing firmly and decisively by listening to and accompanying those who have been wounded, and by implementing a prevention programme throughout the world”.

Forced adoptions

Pope Francis has made combating sexual assault in the Church a main mission of his papacy, and insisted on a “zero tolerance” policy in the wake of wide-reaching abuse scandals around the world.

During his speech, Francis also said he was “saddened” to learn about a forced adoptions scandal in Belgium that saw institutions run by nuns give up the babies of thousands of underage girls and unmarried women.

“We see how the bitter fruit of wrongdoing and criminality was mixed in with what was unfortunately the prevailing view in all parts of society at that time,” he said.

Belgium’s HLN news site estimates that up to 30,000 children were taken from their mothers in Belgium between 1945 and the 1980s.

Bishops in Belgium apologised in 2023 and requested an independent investigation after fresh testimonies emerged from women and people claiming to have been “sold” by the Catholic Church to their adoptive family.

Also read: Long history of nuns abused by priests in India: an AP investigation 

Child sexual abuse and forced adoptions have “badly damaged trust” between the Church and society, De Croo said.

In a sign of the work yet to be done, the program of an open-air mass concluding Francis’s trip on Sunday had to be changed at the last minute after it emerged that the closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual abuse.

The blunder prompted the head of the Belgian bishops’ conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the Church needed to get better at keeping a tab on cases and perpetrators.

“This represents a great challenge for us, but we must think about it seriously with the help of lawyers and psychologists,” he told a local broadcaster. The composer, who died this month, reportedly settled a sexual abuse case in 2002.

On the wane

The Argentinian Pope arrived in Belgium on Thursday (September 26, 2024) evening after spending the day in neighbouring Luxembourg, where he made a plea for international diplomacy amid flaring conflicts across the globe.

He was welcomed by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who hosted him on Friday morning, and he will head on to meet with academics at the Catholic university of Leuven in Dutch-speaking Flanders — whose 600th anniversary next year is the official reason for Francis’s visit.

On Saturday, during what is his 46th trip abroad, Francis will meet the clergy at the vast Basilica of the Sacred Heart before holding discussions with students at Louvain-la-Neuve in French-speaking Wallonia, notably on climate issues.

The last papal visit to Brussels was in 1995, when John Paul II attended the beatification of Saint Damien, who dedicated his life to lepers.

Nearly 65 percent of Belgium’s population is Christian, including 58 percent who are Catholic, according to figures from Louvain university.

But their numbers are on the wane, reflecting a decline across Europe.

During his weekly general audience, Francis said he hoped his visit could be “the opportunity for a new impetus of faith”.