BRUSSELS: Pope Francis was pressed firmly by Belgium’s king and premier on Friday for more concrete action to address sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, an issue once more in the spotlight.

King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo raised the issue in public in unusually forceful language for a papal foreign trip, always a carefully choreographed event.

King Philippe told Pope Francis in a speech welcoming him to Belgium that it had taken the Church “far too long” to address the scandals.

De Croo said it had “a long way to go” and that “words alone are not enough”.

“Concrete steps must also be taken,” the premier said.

Pope Francis’s weekend trip to Belgium is meant to focus on the 600th anniversary of two Catholic universities. But a television documentary series and a parliamentary investigation have brought the Church’s record on clerical sexual abuse to the fore.

The pope was also pressed on Friday to reconsider the Catholic Church’s ban on ordaining women as priests.

More than 700 complaints and reports of clergy abuse have been made in Belgium since 2012, according to a Church report.

In the meeting on Friday with politicians at the royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Pope Francis sought to give assurances that the global Roman Catholic Church was tackling the issue.

The 87-year-old pontiff did not name specific cases of abuse in Belgium, but said the behaviour of Catholic clergy had provided “painful counter-testimonies” to the church’s teachings.

“I refer to the tragic instances of child abuse, which is a scourge that the Church is addressing firmly and decisively … by implementing a prevention programme throughout the world,” the pope said.

In addition to his prepared remarks, he said the Church must “be ashamed and ask forgiveness” for the abuse of minors, which he called a crime.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2024