Victims of clerical sex abuse demand justice on pope’s visit to Belgium
Pope Francis was set to meet Belgian victims of sexual abuse by clergymen on Friday as part of a three-day visit to the country – the first by a pontiff in almost 30 years. FRANCE 24 spoke to two of the victims of abuse, only one of whom was granted an audience with the head of the Catholic Church.
The Church’s dark history of sex abuse has cast a shadow over the visit by the 87-year-old Francis, which also includes a meeting with academics at the Catholic university of Leuven in Dutch-speaking Flanders – whose 600th anniversary next year was the official reason for the pontiff’s trip.
In a blistering start to the visit, Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo blasted the Church's legacy of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups as he welcomed the pontiff, demanding “concrete steps” to come clean with the past and put victims’ interests ahead of those of the institution.
“It is our shame and our humiliation,” the pope said in turn, addressing what he called “the tragic instances of child abuse” and stressing that the Church “must seek forgiveness”.
Francis has made combating sexual assault in the Church one of the main missions of his papacy, pushing a “zero tolerance” policy in the wake of wide-reaching abuse scandals around the world.
Click on the player above to watch the full report by Alix Le Bourdon and Dave Keating.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
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