Pope Francis met with homeless and undocumented immigrants at the Saint-Gilles church in Brussels. Among them was a young migrant who crossed the Mediterranean Sea by boat to the Italian island of Lampedusa and was then arrested.
A surprise visit on his way to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg, one of the largest churches in the world, where he spoke to bishops, priests and the region’s Catholic community.
Those present read letters in which they challenged the pontiff and shared questions about various aspects of the Catholic Church.
The day before, Francis had also received public criticism from the Belgian king, the Prime Minister and the rector of the Catholic University of Louvain over the Catholic Church’s cover-ups of sexual abuse committed by the clergy, and its refusal to respond to the demands of women and LGBTQ+ Catholics for a place in the Church.
According to the rector of the Catholic University of Louvain, these scandals have weakened the moral authority of the Church, which needs reform, such as ordaining women priests.
