Pope Francis, during a three-day visit to Belgium, addressed the Catholic Church’s clergy abuse scandal, expressing remorse for the church’s failings and urging accountability.
He acknowledged the shame of child sexual abuse within the church and called for forgiveness, describing the abuse as a scourge on Christian humanity.
However, Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo urged the Vatican to take more tangible actions, emphasizing the need for concrete steps to address the issue and center victims in the process.
De Croo stressed that victims deserve recognition, the truth, and concrete efforts to prevent further abuse.
The prime minister’s remarks likely reflect public frustration fueled by a 2023 documentary that exposed new details about clergy abuse in Belgium and the church’s inadequate response.
This led to renewed investigations by Belgium’s Federal Parliament and the Flemish assembly into the church’s handling of abuse cases from 15 years ago.
Several political parties, including the Christian-Democrats-Flemish Party, Forward Party, and the Greens, chose not to attend a university celebration attended by the pope, demanding more decisive action to address and prevent abuse within the church.