A visit to the Flemish Catholic University of Louvain and an unexpected detour to the premises of an institution of nuns caring for the elderly in a working-class district of Brussels, did not eclipse, on Friday September 27, the subject which was at the heart of Pope Francis’ three-day visit to Belgium, namely sexual violence within the Catholic Church. Luc Sels, the rector of the University of Louvain, in the speech he addressed to the head of this Church, judged that “ the shock caused by sexual violence and the way in which it has been discussed and judged in the past weaken the moral authority with which the Church can express itself.”
In the morning, the sovereign pontiff was invited by King Philippe to deliver a “speech to the nation” the very principle of which had been denounced by secular circles and left-wing elected officials, who saw it as a departure from the principle of separation. of the Church and the State. This controversy quickly gave way to questions about the exact scope of the remarks that the pope made about the scandals which have punctuated the history of the Belgian Church for three decades.
In his speech, King Philippe made a cautious allusion to facts which would have concerned some 2,000 people in total, according to the figures put forward by Rik Devillé, a retired priest who brought together victims of abuse. The head of state deplored the fact that people had been “horribly bruised and scarred for life” and it was necessary “so much time for their cries to be heard and recognized.”
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The resigning prime minister, Alexander De Croo, a Flemish liberal, had harsher words. Stressing that the Church undoubtedly had its place “ in our history and our culture »the head of government added: “But we cannot ignore the painful wounds that exist within the Catholic religious community and society as a whole. The numerous cases of sexual abuse and forced adoptions have seriously damaged trust.” Mr De Croo insisted: “Today words are no longer enough, concrete actions must be taken. Victims have the right to the truth. Justice must be done.”
“Too little and too late”
This firmness visibly pushed the pope to leave the text transmitted to the press, which differed little from remarks previously made by Francis on the subject. If the Belgian clergy has, in general, refused to qualify other than “sins” abuses committed by prelates, the pope this time spoke of « crimes » for which, he judges, “the Church must be ashamed and ask for forgiveness”. He emphasized that “most abuse” occur “ in the family, in the neighborhoods, in sport” but that a single case within the Church should arouse “shame” of it. In 2010, André-Joseph Léonard, primate of Belgium at the time, had already insisted that “all walks of life” were, according to him, confronted with the question of abuse.
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