Pope Francis is accompanied by Belgian authorities during a farewell ceremony at Melsbroek Air Base at the end of a four-day visit to Belgium and Luxembourg on Sunday, September 29, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP
Pope Francis urged bishops not to cover up the sexual abuse of children, during an open mass on Sunday (September 29, 2024) that ended a three-day visit to Belgium, which is still struggling with the legacy of its scandalous past.
Gathered in the bright morning sun, some 40,000 faithful, some waving Belgian and Vatican flags, packed the King Baudouin stadium north of the capital to hear the 87-year-old pontiff.
“There is no place for abuse, no place to cover up abuse,” Pope Francis said in his homily.
“I ask everyone not to cover up abuse, I ask the bishops not to cover up abuse, to punish abusers and to help them cure this disease of abuse.”
During his stay, the Pope was pressed by Belgian authorities and victims’ advocates about the Catholic Church’s handling of child sexual abuse, which was put on the front pages by a hard-hitting documentary last year.
The Belgian documentary led to around 200 more people claiming they were abused by members of the Church, adding to around 1,000 cases previously reported.
On Friday (September 27, 2024), the Pope met with 17 victims. “I feel suffering,” he said at mass on Sunday (September 29, 2024).
“Do not hide, evil must be publicized, so that it can be known,” he said, calling for all perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Women and values
As a sign of unfinished business, the Sunday mass program (September 29, 2024) 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 error prompted the head of the Belgian bishops’ conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the Church needs to better monitor cases and perpetrators.
As questions about abuse cast a shadow over his stay, the Argentine pope was given a rousing welcome at mass on Sunday (September 29, 2024), where young people and families cheered as he visited the site in the Popemobile.
“He transmits all kinds of values,” Olivier Caillet, 44, from Brussels, said of the pope, praising his welcoming stance on migration.
“He’s a bit like a surprise whale, he’s with the underprivileged… he’s opening up new possibilities, trying to change people’s consciences so that they don’t close borders like obstacles.”
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium also attended the mass, which Pope Francis used to call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the wider Middle East.
“I call all parties to immediately cease fire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine and Israel,” the Pope said, as Israel continues to target the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Pope Francis’ visit, the first by a pope to Belgium since John Paul II in 1995, also highlighted the disconnect between the Vatican and some of the faithful in progressive secular countries on issues such as gender inequality.
On Saturday (September 28, 2024), he was challenged in a frank exchange with students about the place of women in the Church – after honoring the former authority who took a public stance against abortion.
His response, which describes women as daughters, sisters and mothers, upset some, with the Catholic university that hosted the meeting later expressing “ignorance and disapproval” in a reductive display.
“I don’t know why women can’t become priests. This is something that was established because it was in society at the time, but now it has progressed,” said Alice Vanwijnsberghe, an 18-year-old student. AFP after attending a festival with 6,000 young Catholics.
The pope left Brussels around 1:30 a.m. IST (1130 GMT), departing from the Melsbroek military airport outside the city.
He is expected to give a traditional press conference on the plane that takes him back to Rome.
Published – 29 September 2024 18:08 IST
