Pallade Veneta - Pope in Belgium says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for sexual abuse

In a speech to political and civil society leaders beginning his three-day visit, Francis denounced the "tragic instances of child abuse" as a stain on the Church's legacy.

"It is our shame and our humiliation," Francis told the gathering at the Laeken Palace royal residency.

"The Church must be ashamed and must seek forgiveness," he said.

The 87-year-old pontiff was to meet with clerical sexual assault victims in Brussels as part of his stay in the European nation tarred by decades of scandals and cover-ups.

The meeting with around 15 victims at the Vatican's diplomatic mission, was being held on Friday with the "utmost discretion", according to the Belgian church.

It was arranged after a hard-hitting documentary last year put Belgium's abuse scandal back on the front pages, prompting new victims to come forward.

In an open letter this month, some demanded the pope address paedophilia and set up a process for financial reparations.

"Words alone are not enough. Concrete measures must also be taken," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a preamble to the pope's speech.

The pontiff said the abuse was "a scourge that the Church is addressing firmly and decisively by listening to and accompanying those who have been wounded, and by implementing a prevention programme throughout the world".

- Forced adoptions -

Francis has made combatting sexual assault in the Church a main mission of his papacy, and insisted on a "zero tolerance" policy after wide-reaching abuse scandals around the world.

He has lifted papal secrecy on sexual abuse by clergy and obliged both clergy and lay people to report all cases to their superiors.

During his speech, Francis said he was "saddened" to learn about a forced adoptions scandal in Belgium that saw institutions run by nuns give up the babies of thousands of underage girls and unmarried women.

"We see how the bitter fruit of wrongdoing and criminality was mixed in with what was unfortunately the prevailing view in all parts of society at that time," he said.

Belgium's HLN news site estimates that up to 30,000 children were taken from their mothers in Belgium between 1945 and the 1980s.

Bishops in Belgium apologised in 2023 and requested an independent investigation after fresh testimonies emerged from women and people claiming to have been "sold" by the Catholic Church to adoptive families.

Child sexual abuse and forced adoptions have "badly damaged trust" between the Church and society, De Croo said.

In a sign of the work yet to be done, the programme of an open-air mass concluding Francis's trip on Sunday 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 needed to better monitor cases and perpetrators.

- On the wane -

The Argentinian pope arrived in Belgium Thursday evening after a day in neighbouring Luxembourg, where he made a plea for international diplomacy amid flaring conflicts across the globe.

He was welcomed by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. Francis later met with academics at the Catholic university of Leuven in Dutch-speaking Flanders -- whose 600th anniversary next year is the official reason for his visit -- and called for refugees to be welcomed.

On Saturday, during his 46th trip abroad, Francis will meet the clergy at the vast Basilica of the Sacred Heart before holding discussions with students at Louvain-la-Neuve in French-speaking Wallonia, notably on climate issues.

Nearly 65 percent of Belgium's population is Christian, including 58 percent who are Catholic, according to Louvain university figures.

But their numbers are on the wane, reflecting a decline across Europe.

During his weekly general audience, Francis said he hoped his visit could be "the opportunity for a new impetus of faith".

L.Barone--PV