Pope condemns cover-up of abuses at end of sensitive visit to Belgium

BRUSSELS – Pope Francis pleaded with bishops not to cover up child sexual abuse during an outdoor Mass Sunday at the end of a three-day visit to Belgium, which is still struggling with the legacy of past scandals.

About 40,000 worshipers, some waving Belgian and Vatican flags, gathered in the bright morning sun, packed King Baudouin Stadium north of the capital to hear the 87-year-old pope.

“There is no place for abuse, there is no place for hiding abuse,” Francis said during his homily.

READ: Pope Francis condemned the issue of the role of women in the Church in Belgium

“I am asking everyone not to hide the molestation, I am asking the bishops not to hide the molestation, to condemn the perpetrators of violence and help them heal from the disease of molestation.”

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During his visit, Belgian authorities and victims’ advocates pressed the pope over the Catholic Church’s handling of child sexual abuse, which made headlines last year thanks to a striking documentary.

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The Belgian document prompted about 200 more people to come forward with allegations that they had been molested by members of the Church, adding to about 1,000 previously reported cases.

READ: Belgian priest detained after deadly night of sex and drugs with British priest

On Friday, Francis met with 17 victims. “I felt their suffering,” he said during Sunday mass.

“Evil cannot be hidden, evil must be brought to light and made known,” he added, calling for all perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Women and values

The program of Sunday mass had to be changed at the last minute when it came to light that the closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual harassment.

The mistake prompted the president of the Belgian Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the church needs to better monitor cases and perpetrators.

Although the issue of abuse overshadowed him throughout his stay, the Argentine pope received an enthusiastic welcome at Sunday Mass, where young people and families cheered as he traveled around the site in his popemobile.

“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 at the mass, during which Francis called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the entire Middle East.

“I call on all parties to immediately cease fire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine and Israel,” the pope said, as Israel continued to target the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon.

On the flight back to Rome, he sharply criticizes the “immoral” use of force in the region.

“The defense must always be proportional to the attack. When that is not the case, there is a dominant tendency that goes beyond morality,” he told reporters traveling with him when asked about the effects of Israeli attacks on civilians.

“Even in war there is a morality that must be defended. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicate a form of morality.”

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 was challenged – after paying tribute to a former ruler who publicly opposed abortion.

His response, in which he described women as daughters, sisters and mothers, upset some, and the Catholic 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 AFP after attending a festival attended by 6,000 young Catholics.

During a traditional news conference aboard the plane back to Rome, the pope praised the courage of former Belgian monarch King Baudouin for opposing a pro-abortion law in 1990.

“The king showed courage because, in the face of this murderous law, he did not sign it and resigned,” the pope said. “It takes courage.”