The Pope ends a sensitive visit to Belgium with a mass in a large stadium

Pope Francis presided over Holy Mass in Brussels on Sunday. outdoors, concluding a three-day visit to Belgium during which he grappled with past scandals and current debates about the role of women in the Catholic Church.

About 40,000 worshipers, some waving Belgian and Vatican flags, gathered in bright morning sunlight for the ceremony at the King Baudouin Stadium north of the capital.

The Argentine Pope, 87, arrived shortly after 9 a.m. (7 a.m. GMT) and drove around the stadium in his “Popemobile” to applause from the faithful, including many young people and families.

“He conveys all kinds of values,” 44-year-old Olivier Caillet from Brussels said of the pope, praising his friendly stance on migration.

“He is a bit like the Pope of surprises, he is with the poorest… he opens new opportunities, tries to change people’s consciences so that we do not close borders like barriers.”

King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Matilda were also present.

During his stay, the pope was repeatedly questioned about the Catholic Church’s dark legacy of child sexual abuse, which casts a long shadow over Belgium. He met with 17 victims on Friday.

Francis’ visit, the first by a pope to Belgium since John Paul II in 1995, also highlighted a growing split between the Vatican and some faithful in progressive, secular countries over issues such as gender inequality.

On Saturday, during a frank exchange with students about the place of women in the Church, he challenged him – after paying tribute to the former ruler who publicly opposed abortion.

His response, in which she described women as daughters, sisters and mothers, upset some, and the university hosting the meeting later expressed its “misunderstanding and disapproval” of the reductive view.

“I don’t understand why women can’t become priests. It’s something that was established because it was ingrained in society at the time, but now we’ve gone further,” Alice Vanwijnsberghe, an 18-year-old student, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) after attending the festival, which was attended by 6,000 young Catholics.