Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo publicly addressed Pope Francis on Friday about the deep wounds left by past sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Belgium. Speaking at a formal reception in Brussels, De Croo emphasized that the Church, while deeply embedded in Belgian culture, must not overlook the painful legacy of abuse and cover-ups that have harmed countless people and shaken the public’s trust.
De Croo said, “The Catholic Church has its place in our history and customs,” but added: “We cannot turn our back on the painful wounds that exist within the Catholic faith community and wider society.” The Prime Minister drew particular attention to such examples as cases of sexual abuse and forced adoptions, pointing out that their influence is being felt still today.
De Croo praised the Pope’s passion for justice but said that the issue is still a reality. “You are committed to justice. But there is still a long way to go,” he said, during what has become one of the most pointed public critiques by a politician of the way the Church handles sex abuse scandals while a pope visits.
The country has grappled with sex abuse scandals for more than two decades. The most despicable case perhaps is that of Roger Vangheluwe, who was bishop of Bruges between 1984 and 2010 before being impeached in shame after officially admitting some instances of sexual abuses leveled against him. He later took back the throes of morality by saying he did not think what he was doing was abusive. He is ever since deprived of his clerical status and lives in solitude in an abbey in France.
The abuse scandals in Belgium have been documented in a powerful four-part series titled “Godvergeten” (Godforsaken), which aired last year on Belgian broadcaster VRT. The series uncovered widescale abuse and cover-ups by the Church, and religious observance has dropped as a result. Many Belgian Catholics have cut ties with the Church; some even symbolically revoked their baptisms.
This sense of urgency was echoed by Belgian King Philippe when he spoke before the Pope. He reminded everyone of the fact that it took far too long for the voices of its victims to be heard and for the steps toward accountability and healing to begin. “It has taken far too long for [the victims’] cries to be heard and acknowledged. It has taken far too long to begin looking for ways to ‘repair’ the irreparable, said King Philippe, who underlined the urgency of taking long-standing initiatives
While admitting criticisms, Pope Francis reacted by pointing out the fact that the Church fights abuses. He assured those present that the Church was “acting firmly and decisively in this area” through launching prevention programs and counseling abuse victims. The Pope veered off from the prepared speech and said that the Church “must be ashamed” of its past failures and “ask for forgiveness.”
Pope Francis has arrived in Belgium as part of a larger international visit, with one of his scheduled stops being Luxembourg. Later this day, he will meet with 15 survivors of abuse scandals, which will give him yet another chance to assess both how much the Church has learned from past situations and how much still needs to be corrected to adequately address these systemic issues fully.
Finally, reacting to the Prime Minister’s statements, Geert De Kerpel, spokesperson of Belgian archbishop Luc Terlinden said nothing is changed in the Church’s fight against abuse. “What the prime minister says is also of our concern,” De Kerpel stated. “It’s never enough, but we do all we can.”
He further clarified that the Belgian Catholic Church is already doing concrete efforts to prevent the abuse from happening again in the future. “The Belgian church is a church that fights strongly against this abuse,” De Kerpel said, adding, “There is no place for sexual abuse in the church.”
The visit of the Pope and candid talks with Belgian leaders hint at an arduous journey still ahead of the Catholic Church in rebuilding trust and healing wounds inflicted during years of abuse and negligence.
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