Pope Francis is accompanied by Belgian officials during a farewell ceremony at Melsbrook Air Base at the end of his four-day visit to Belgium and Luxembourg on Sunday, September 29, 2024. | Photo: AP
Pope Francis urged the bishops not to cover up sexual abuse of childrenduring an outdoor Mass on Sunday (September 29, 2024), which ended a three-day visit to Belgium, which is still struggling with the legacy of past scandals.
Gathered in bright morning sunshine, about 40,000 worshippers, 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 abuses, there is no place for covering up abuses,” Pope Francis said during a homily.
“I am asking everyone not to cover up the abuse, I am asking the bishops not to cover up the abuse, to condemn the abusers and help them heal from this disease of abuse.”
During his stay, the pope was pressed by Belgian authorities and victims’ advocates over the Catholic Church’s handling of child sexual abuse, which was brought back to the front pages by a hard-hitting documentary last year.
The Belgian documentary prompted around 200 more people to come forward with allegations of abuse 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 felt their suffering,” he said at Mass on Sunday (September 29, 2024).
“Evil should not be hidden, evil should be brought to light, known,” he added and called for all perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Women and values
In a sign of the work to be done, the program for Sunday’s Mass (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 blunder prompted the head of the Belgian bishops’ conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the Church needs to better monitor the cases and the perpetrators.
While the issue of abuse has cast a shadow throughout his stay, the Argentine pope was given a rapturous welcome at Mass on Sunday (September 29, 2024), where young people and families cheered as he toured the site in his 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 the pope of surprises, he’s with the disadvantaged … he’s opening up new opportunities, trying to change people’s consciences so that we don’t close borders as barriers.”
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde also attended the Mass, which Pope Francis used to call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the Middle East.
“I call on all countries to immediately cease fire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine and Israel,” the pope said, as Israel continues to attack the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
Pope Francis’ visit, the first by a pope to Belgium since John Paul II in 1995, also highlighted a growing rift between the Vatican and some believers in progressive, secular countries over issues such as gender inequality.
On Saturday (September 28, 2024), he was challenged during a candid conversation with students about the place of women in the Church – after paying tribute to a former sovereign who took a public stand against abortion.
His response, describing women as daughters, sisters and mothers, upset some, with the Catholic university hosting the meeting later expressing its “misunderstanding and disapproval” of the reductive view.
“I don’t understand why women can’t become priests. It’s something that was established because it was ingrained in society at the time, but now we’ve moved on,” Alice VanWeinsberge, an 18-year-old student, told AFP after attending a festival with 6,000 young Catholics.
The Pope left Brussels at around 1:30 pm IST (1130 GMT), taking off from the Melsbroek military airport outside the city.
He was expected to give his traditional press conference aboard the plane taking him back to Rome.
Published – September 29, 2024, 6:08 PM IST
