In Belgium’s Laeken Castle, Pope Francis confronted the Catholic Church’s long-standing clerical abuse crisis in the country, declaring unequivocally that “the Church should be ashamed” and must seek forgiveness for its failures.
Speaking before approximately 300 dignitaries, including King Philippe and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, the pope remarked that child abuse is “a scourge that the Church is tackling resolutely and firmly, listening to and accompanying the wounded and implementing a widespread prevention program throughout the world.”
“The Church is both holy and sinful,” Francis said in the castle’s Grand Gallery on Sept. 27 in his first speech since his arrival in Belgium. “The Church lives in this perennial coexistence of holiness and sin, of light and shadow, with outcomes often of great generosity and splendid dedication, and sometimes unfortunately with the emergence of painful counter-witnesses.”
“I am thinking of the dramatic incidents of child abuse,” he added. “The Church should be ashamed and ask for forgiveness and try to solve this situation with Christian humility.”
The pope’s comments come on the heels of his decision to laicize former Bruges Bishop Roger Vangheluwe many years after the former prelate admitted to repeatedly sexually abusing his nephews. A previous archbishop of Brussels, the late Cardinal Godfried Danneels, reportedly called on a victim of Vangheluwe’s abuse to remain silent.
The Catholic Church in Belgium is facing a significant decline in public trust. Only 50% of Belgians identified as Catholic in 2022, a drop of 16% from a decade earlier, with only 8.9% attending Mass at least once a month.
According to a recent report, the number of Catholics requesting to have their names removed from baptismal registers rose to 1,270 in 2023.
The pope spoke about clerical abuse in an off-the-cuff response following De Croo’s sharp condemnation of the Church’s handling of clerical abuse.
De Croo implored the Church to prioritize the needs of victims, stating: “Today, words alone do not suffice. We also need concrete steps.” King Philippe also joined the call for accountability in his speech, stating that the Church must work “incessantly” to atone for the crimes and aid in the healing of victims.
The visit by Pope Francis follows a series of scandals that have plagued the Belgian Church, culminating in a devastating report released in 2010 that revealed that more than 500 individuals had come forward with allegations of abuse by priests. The fallout from these revelations has led to significant scrutiny of Church leadership and practices, with many calling for a more transparent approach to handling abuse allegations.
A recent documentary, “Godvergeten” (“Godforsaken”), aired on Belgian television showcasing victims sharing their harrowing stories, further fueling public outrage and prompting investigations into the Church’s practices.
Both the prime minister and King Philippe made their most pointed remarks in Dutch, the language of Flanders, where the abuse cases have gained particular notoriety.
The pope’s address also touched upon Belgium’s troubled history of “forced adoptions,” a practice that persisted until the 1980s and saw unwed mothers coerced into giving up their children. “Often the family and other social actors, including the Church, thought that in order to remove the negative stigma … it was preferable for the good of both mother and child that the latter be adopted,” he lamented, adding that this mindset contributed to deep societal wounds.
In his speech, Pope Francis also spoke of Belgium’s unique role in Europe, calling it a bridge between cultures and a center for peace. “These are the two calamities of our time — the hell of war … and a demographic winter,” he said.
“This is why we have to be practical: Have children! Have children!” the pope added.
Francis did not, however, address the controversial topic of euthanasia in Belgium, a notable omission in his speech given ongoing discussions around the issue in Catholic health care settings in the country.
After the pope’s speech at Laeken Castle, he visited a residence for the elderly in financial difficulty run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. The pope is also expected to meet with victims of sexual abuse on Friday evening.
