Pope Francis Reckons With Clerical Abuse in Mass Ending Belgium Trip.

Pope Francis concluded his multi-day visit to Belgium on Sunday by celebrating Mass at Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium and with a call to help victims of clerical sexual abuse.

“The cries of the afflicted cannot be ignored,” said the pope in his homily to scattered applause, calling for transparency and support for victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

“I ask everyone, do not cover up abusers. I ask bishops, condemn the abusers,” he added in his off-script remarks, sending a clear message to high-ranking church officials in Belgium.

Almost 40,000 believers from Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands, as well as the Belgian King Philippe, attended the ceremony on a bright, sunny morning.

Cheers punctuated the brisk autumn air when the pope entered the stadium. Music from an organ and a choir swirled as the pope toured the crowd, blessing the children and babies presented to him.

At the start of the Mass, the head of the Catholic Church beatified Anne of Jesus.

The native Spaniard, who died in Brussels in 1621, was involved in founding convents in Antwerp, Tournai, Mechelen and Ghent, among other places.

Anne of Jesus was an associate of Saint Teresa of Ávila, who is also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus. The Church teacher is regarded as one of the most famous women in the Catholic Church. Teresa also critically examined the dominant role of men.

The Mass brought to an end what was at times a difficult trip for the pontiff. He received a bruising welcome from Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and the Belgian king.

The Belgian king told the pope that “it has taken far too long to begin looking for ways to repair the irreparable” as the details of abuse within the Belgian Catholic Church emerged over the years.

The Belgian prime minister meanwhile told the head of the Catholic Church that words are not enough and that “concrete steps must also be taken.”

“The victims must be heard. They should be at the centre. They have a right to the truth,” De Croo said in his speech to welcome the pope on Friday.

The head of the Catholic Church met in private with a large group of victims of clerical sexual abuse on Friday.

The meeting lasted two hours and was an “open, difficult and also emotional conversation,” a participant told the Belgian news agency Belga afterwards.

A visit to mark the 600th anniversary of the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve’s foundation also resulted in a clear disagreement on the role of women in society and the Church.

The university’s staff and students pressed the pope and the Church to recognize that the position of women has advanced beyond the role of a carer.

The pope in response to the university described the role of a woman as that of a “fruitful, welcome, nurturing and life-giving dedication.”

A press release circulated by the university after the conversation noted the pope’s view with “incomprehension and disapproval,” describing his position as too conservative.

Credit: German News Service