Pope says church must 'seek forgiveness' for child abuse

Pope Francis has said that the Catholic Church must "seek forgiveness" over the "scourge" of child sexual abuse, in a speech before political and civil society leaders in Belgium - a country scarred by decades of scandals.

In a speech before political and civil society leaders that opened his three-day visit to the country, Pope Francis denounced the "tragic instances of child abuse" as a stain on the church's legacy.

"It is our shame and our humiliation," he told the gathering at the Laeken Palace royal residency.

"The Church must be ashamed and must seek forgiveness," he said.

The 87-year-old pontiff is due to meet with a group of clerical sexual assault victims in Brussels in the afternoon, as part of a three-day stay in the European nation tarred by decades of scandals and cover-ups.

The meeting with around 15 victims, taking place at the Vatican's diplomatic mission, was being held with the "utmost discretion", according to the Belgian church.

It was arranged after a hard-hitting documentary last year put Belgium's abuse scandal back on the front pages, prompting many new victims to come forward.

In an open letter published by Le Soir newspaper this month, some demanded the pope address paedophilia and set up a process for financial reparations.

"Words alone are not enough. Concrete measures must also be taken," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in a preamble to the pope's speech.

The pontiff said the abuse scandal was "a scourge that the Church is addressing firmly and decisively by listening to and accompanying those who have been wounded, and by implementing a prevention programme throughout the world".

Pope Francis has made combating sexual assault in the church a main mission of his papacy, and insisted on a "zero tolerance" policy in the wake of wide-reaching abuse scandals around the world.

During his speech, he also said he was "saddened" to learn about a forced adoptions scandal in Belgium that saw institutions run by nuns give up the babies of thousands of underage girls and unmarried women.

"We see how the bitter fruit of wrongdoing and criminality was mixed in with what was unfortunately the prevailing view in all parts of society at that time," he said.

Belgium's HLN news site estimates that up to 30,000 children were taken from their mothers in Belgium between 1945 and the 1980s.

Bishops in Belgium apologised in 2023 and requested an independent investigation after fresh testimonies emerged from women and people claiming to have been "sold" by the Catholic Church to their adoptive family.

Child sexual abuse and forced adoptions have "badly damaged trust" between the church and society, Mr De Croo said.

In a sign of the work yet to be done, the programme of an open-air mass concluding Pope Francis's trip on Sunday had to be changed at the last minute after it emerged that the closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual abuse.

The blunder prompted the head of the Belgian bishops' conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the church needed to get better at keeping a tab on cases and perpetrators.

"This represents a great challenge for us, but we must think about it seriously with the help of lawyers and psychologists," he told a local broadcaster. The composer, who died this month, reportedly settled a sexual abuse case in 2002.

The Argentinian pope arrived in Belgium yesterday evening after spending the day in neighbouring Luxembourg, where he made a plea for international diplomacy amid flaring conflicts across the globe.

He was welcomed by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, who hosted him this morning, and he will meet with academics at the Catholic university of Leuven in Dutch-speaking Flanders - whose 600th anniversary next year is the official reason for the pontiff's visit.

Tomorrow, during what is his 46th trip abroad, the pope will meet the clergy at the vast Basilica of the Sacred Heart before holding discussions with students at Louvain-la-Neuve in French-speaking Wallonia, notably on climate issues.

The last papal visit to Brussels was in 1995, when John Paul II attended the beatification of Saint Damien, who dedicated his life to lepers.

Nearly 65% of Belgium's population is Christian, including 58% who are Catholic, according to figures from Louvain university.

But their numbers are on the wane, reflecting a decline across Europe.

During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis said he hoped his visit could be "the opportunity for a new impetus of faith".