[EN DIRECT] The Pope’s trip to Luxembourg and Belgium

Highly respected and appreciated, the King of Belgium Philippe I, reigning since 2013, actively contributed to the Pope’s visit to his country. Known for his deep faith, he nevertheless remains faithful to his duty of reserve, given his role as constitutional arbiter in the face of political crises.

François landed at 7:06 p.m. at Melsbroek air base, near Brussels, after a 28-minute flight from Luxembourg. He was welcomed there by the sovereign of the country, King Philippe of Belgium, one of the great architects of his visit to the Flat Country. On the tarmac beaten by the rain the pontiff appeared to the sound of the anthem “Aux champs”, reserved for the head of state received in Belgium. Then he was welcomed by the King of the Belgians and his wife, Queen Mathilde, before listening to the national anthems of the Vatican and Belgium and greeting the delegations, as required by protocol. During this sequence the Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander de Croo was present. The pontiff then listened to a choir of children sing two songs, “We write on the walls” by Kids United, then “Amazing Grace” before retiring. After this last public appearance of the day, the pope drove to the nunciature in Brussels, where he will reside until the end of his stay on September 29.

“Our faith is like this: it is joyful, dancing,” Pope Francis declared to members of the Catholic community of Luxembourg gathered in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg. Recognizing the secularization at work in Luxembourg, Francis hoped that the Church “would not withdraw into itself, sad, resigned, resentful.” On the contrary, it must be “ready to evolve”, for example by sharing “responsibilities and ministries”. The pope thus condensed in his speech one of the challenges of the Synod underway in the world, a process which aims to give more space to the laity and to women in particular.

François was welcomed around 4:30 p.m. to the sound of the organ and then to a song sung in English by this assembly where many nationalities mixed. After a welcome speech by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, the pontiff then attended a dance performance entitled “ Praised yes », inspired by his encyclical and the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, then listened to the testimonies of three people involved in the life of the local Church.

One of them, Christine Bußhardt, vice-president of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, recognized a certain “discouragement” of the members of her diocese who do not always feel “treated on an equal footing”. However, she affirmed that she saw the emergence of a “necessary renewal” in the Synod on synodality which must conclude with the Roman session in October. This process launched by Pope Francis in 2021 in parishes around the world is supposed to make the Catholic Church more inclusive and participatory. Cardinal Hollerich plays an essential role in this synod as rapporteur. The visit of Pope Francis to his country was seen by many as a sign of support.

Recognizing the secularization at work in Luxembourg, Francis hoped that the Church “would not withdraw into itself, sad, resigned, resentful”. On the contrary, it must be “ready to evolve”, for example by sharing “responsibilities and ministries”. The pope thus condensed in his speech one of the challenges of the Synod underway in the world, a process which aims to give more space to the laity and to women in particular. Pope Francis stressed the importance for the Church not to be sad. “Our faith is like this: it is joyful, “dancing”, because it tells us that we are the children of a God who is a friend of man, who wants us happy and united, and can only be more joyful through our salvation,” he exclaimed, referring to the famous dancing procession of Echternach, a Luxembourg Catholic festivity that is part of the UNESCO world heritage list.

After hearing two testimonies from Portuguese Catholics, belonging to the main migrant community in Luxembourg, the pope went out of his text to thank the people and the government of Luxembourg for their “attention” to the migrants, encouraging them to continue. The pontiff finally recalled the words spoken by John Paul II in 1985 to the youth of Luxembourg, invited to chart the path for “a Europe not only of goods and goods, but of values, men and hearts”. At the heart of these Christian roots, the Argentine pope insisted on the defense of welcoming one’s neighbor, considering that it was more a question of “a duty of justice than of charity”.

After lunch, Pope Francis arrived near the archbishopric of Luxembourg, where he had coffee with a few collaborators. Along the way, he met and blessed a pregnant woman.

This morning, in front of the Luxembourg civil authorities, the Pope made the assembly smile by asking Luxembourg to have “more children”. “I saw the birth rate. Please: more children…that’s the future. I am not saying ‘more children and fewer puppies’, that I say in Italy, but to you: more children,” the Pope said to this country which is experiencing a sharp decline in the birth rate, with a fertility rate of 1.25 children per woman in 2023.

After a private meeting at the Grand Ducal Palace with Prime Minister Luc Frieden François joined the “Cercle Cité” by car, located some 500 meters away. There he met the authorities and civil society of Luxembourg. In front of some 300 politicians, diplomats, members of civil society, or religious representatives, he urged us to “show […] the advantages of peace over the horrors of war, of the integration and promotion of migrants over their segregation.” Francis once again pleaded the cause of migrants, warning that wealth was “a responsibility”: “Wealth – let us not forget – is a responsibility,” Francis told the country with the highest GDP per capita in the world (2023 ranking).

The pope enjoined “not to neglect the most disadvantaged nations” and to help them “to recover from their conditions of impoverishment”. This will make it possible, he stressed, to reduce “the number of those who are forced to emigrate, often in inhumane and dangerous conditions”. For the Pope, Luxembourg, of which almost half (47%) of its population of 672,0000 inhabitants are foreigners, represents “an example to show the way forward in the reception and integration of migrants and refugees” . In this regard, he praised the “spirit of welcoming migrants” of the small state.

Francis met Grand Duke Henri at the Grand Ducal Palace who introduced him to his family, including many children. He spoke briefly privately with him. The Grand Duke then showed the pontiff the golden rose given in 1956 by Pope Pius XII to his grandmother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, and presented him with a painted engraving of the Virgin and Child from the cathedral Notre-Dame de Luxembourg dating from the 18th century.

Pope Francis landed in Luxembourg at 10:00 a.m. No doubt tired by his flu illness announced at the start of the week and by his twelve-day trip to South-East Asia and Oceania at the start of the month, Pope Francis only made a brief appearance – less than two minutes – with the delegation of journalists accompanying him. Usually, he takes the trouble to meet them personally during the flight. The Pope must now go to the Grand Ducal Palace where he will deliver the first speech of his trip to the Luxembourg authorities and civil society.

On a plane, Pope Francis systematically occupies the first left row of the plane, just behind the cockpit! But does the Pope still fly first class? The comfort of the Pope actually varies depending on the company taken. To go from Rome to Jakarta, the pope flew on an ITA Airways A330 which included, according to a photo published by a passenger close to the pope, the Jesuit Antonio Spadaro, a real first class seat and a large screen. Depending on the company, comfort may nevertheless vary.

Pope Francis flew to 8:28 a.m. this Thursday in an ITA Airways Airbus A321 from Rome Fiumicino airport to reach Luxembourg, the first stage of his journey which should take him to Belgium at the end of the afternoon and where he will stay until Sunday. He is expected to land at Luxembourg Findel International Airport around 10 a.m. This is his 46th apostolic trip abroad, and this only two weeks after his long journey to South-East Asia and Oceania.

Pope Francis went to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray in front of the icon of the Virgin Salvation of the Roman People this September 25, 2024, in order to entrust him with his imminent trip to Luxembourg and Belgium (September 26-29), informed the Press Office of the Holy See.