Pope Francis on Sept. 27 kicked off a three-day trip to Belgium by asking forgiveness for the church’s shameful record on clergy abuse, but was met with a challenge by the country’s prime minister that “words alone do not suffice.”
“We also need concrete steps,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. “Victims need to be heard. They need to be at the center. They have a right to truth. Misdeeds need to be recognized.”
The prime minister’s unusually sharp remarks spotlighted an issue that has loomed large over the pope’s visit here ever since it was first announced and where the local church is reeling from the fallout of a damning 2023 documentary on clergy abuse.
The documentary has prompted the Belgian Federal Parliament and the regional Flemish assembly to launch investigations into the church’s handling of cases and to revisit how the country’s law enforcement potentially botched an earlier abuse inquiry some 15 years ago.
“When something goes wrong we cannot accept cover-ups,” the prime minister told the pope, in front of an audience of the country’s royal family and other government officials. “To be able to look into the future, the church needs to come clean on its past.”
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Christopher White, where this article originally appeared.
