The baptism of adults traditionally takes place during the Pascale vigil, the night before Easter. It is preceded by a period varying from 18 months to two years of preparation within the framework of the catechumenate, with an initiation to the faith and the life of the community of faith.
These figures contrast with the increase in the number of people who asked to be removed from the registers of baptisms of the Catholic Church in Belgium in recent years. In 2023, the last year for which complete figures were available, 14,251 people had requested this radiation. In previous years, this figure generally revolved around 1,200, with a peak at more than 5,000 in 2021.
The visit of Pope Francis in Belgium in September 2024 had also caused the anger of more than 520 people who had asked to be tired. Pope Francis had notably described the partial decriminalization of the voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) in Belgium as “murderous law”, calling the doctors practicing the abortion of “hitmen”.
