Pope Francis mentions ‘tragic examples’ of child abuse in Belgium

Pope Francis (photo) has expressed its regret over “the tragic cases of child abuse” in Belgium, writes Martin Banks.

He spoke on the first full day of an official four-day visit to the country, the first by a pope in almost three decades. A pope was last in Belgium in 1995 when Pope John Paul II performed the beautification of Father Damien, who cared for the lepers of Hawaii.

The Pope came to Belgium via Luxembourg and visited Leuven, Brussels and Louvain-la Neuve. The Catholic University of Leuven marks the 600^e anniversary of its founding in 2025 and to celebrate this, Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon and others invited Pope Francis with the support of the Belgian bishops.

Upon his arrival on Thursday (September 26), the Pope was greeted at an airport near Brussels by Philippe, King of the Belgians – along with pouring rain.

In a speech on Friday (September 27), the Pope pointedly addressed the recent scandals that have rocked the Belgian Church, including cases of alleged sexual abuse by clergy and forced adoption.

The Church has been rocked by claims that institutions run by nuns between 1950 and 1980 took in underage girls and unmarried women and gave their children up for adoption. According to an official investigation last year, Catholic nuns in Belgium were involved in the “forcible adoption” of almost 30,000 children between 1950 and 1980. It is believed that most of the cases involved unmarried women whose parents wanted to keep their pregnancy a secret, so the child was taken from them without consent and given to another family.

It is believed that more than 700 reports of abuse have been reported to authorities in Belgium since 2012.

His speech to civil authorities in Leuven on Friday (September 27) comes just six months after he dismissed a former bishop in Belgium who was found guilty of abuse.

In his speech, the Pope said that while the Church “carries out its mission, often with examples of great generosity and sincere devotion,” “sadly painful counter-testimonies have emerged.”

He added: “I refer to the tragic cases of child abuse, a scourge that the Church is tackling decisively and decisively by listening to and accompanying those who have been injured, and by implementing a prevention program throughout the world.”

He said: “In this regard, I was saddened to hear about the practice of ‘forced adoptions’ that also took place here in Belgium between the 1950s and 1970s. In these moving stories we see how the bitter fruits of misconduct and criminality were mixed with what were unfortunately prevailing views in all levels of society at the time.

“This was so much the case that many believed in conscience that they were doing something good for both the child and the mother.”

He added: “Often the family and other actors in society, including within the Church, thought that in order to avoid the stigma unfortunately attached to unmarried mothers at that time, it would be preferable for the good of both child and the mother that the child is given up for adoption. There were even cases where some women were not given the option to choose between keeping their children or giving them up for adoption.”

He continued: “I pray that by looking at Belgium and its history, the leaders of the nations will be able to learn from it. In this way they can spare their peoples endless misfortunes and sorrows.”

His long-awaited visit to Belgium, where he was greeted by pouring rain on Thursday evening, marks the 600th anniversary of the universities of KU Leuven and UCLouvain.

In his speech on Friday, he said he was “very pleased” to visit Belgium, adding: “When I think of this country, I think of something small and yet big; a country in the west that is also central, as if Belgium were the beating heart of an enormous organism.”

He said: “It would indeed be a mistake to judge the quality of a country based on its geographical size. Belgium may not be a large state, but its special history has had a major impact.

“Immediately after the Second World War, the exhausted and dejected peoples of Europe, as they initiated a deep process of peace, cooperation and integration, looked to your country as a natural location to establish important European institutions.”

This, he said, was because Belgium found itself on the “fault line” between the Germanic and Latin worlds, sandwiched between France and Germany, “two countries that most embodied the opposing nationalist ideals that underlay the conflict.”

He said: “We could describe Belgium as a bridge between the continent and the British Isles, between the Germanic and French-speaking regions, between southern and northern Europe.

“A bridge through which unity can spread and disputes can diminish. A bridge where all people, with their own language, way of thinking and beliefs, can meet others and choose conversation, dialogue and sharing as a means of mutual interaction.

“A bridge where everyone can learn to make their own identity not an idol or a barrier, but a welcoming place, from which they can start and then return; a place for promoting valuable personal exchanges, seeking new social stability together and building new agreements. A bridge that promotes trade, connects and brings cultures into dialogue. An indispensable bridge to reject war and build peace.”

The Pope noted: “It is easy to see, then, how small Belgium really is and how Europe needs Belgium to remind it that its history includes peoples and cultures, cathedrals and universities, achievements of human ingenuity, but also many wars and the will to dominate. that sometimes led to colonialism and exploitation.”

“Europe needs Belgium to continue on the path of peace and brotherhood between its peoples. Belgium reminds all others that when countries ignore borders or violate treaties using the most diverse and untenable excuses, and when they use weapons to replace de facto legislation with the principle of “might is right”, they are opening Pandora’s box open. , unleashing violent storms that batter the house and threaten to destroy it.”

On Sunday (September 29), the Pope led a mass for more than 3,000 people at the King Baudouin Stadium on the outskirts of Brussels.