Pope in Brussels addresses “the shame of child abuse” in the Church
Responding to the criticisms from Belgian Prime Minister de Croo over the cover-up by the Belgian Church, the pontiff spoke off the cuff, comparing this scourge to the Massacre of the Innocents. For him, “even one case is enough for us to be ashamed!” The pontiff also condemned "forced adoptions" imposed on single mothers. “This is actually happening today in some cultures and countries,” he lamented. Certain “values derived from the Gospel” are manipulated, causing “suffering and exclusion.”
Brussels (AsiaNews) – Child abuse is "shameful", and all of us “have to address this situation, ask for pardon (sic) and solve the problem,” said Pope Francis today on the first day of the Belgian leg of his apostolic journey to the heart of Europe.
The scars left on this country are deep amid accusations of a cover-up. Just last week, Belgium’s federal parliament launched an investigation into sexual abuse against minors committed by people associated with the Catholic Church, including the Bishop Emeritus Roger Vangheluwe of Bruges, who was recently defrocked by the Vatican.
In addition to his prepared text, which included an extensive part dedicated to the issue, Francis touched upon this uncomfortable topic with very strong words, which he added off the cuff, to the address he delivered before Belgian King Philip and government leaders.
After listening to the harsh criticism by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo in his greetings, the pontiff thought it appropriate to pay even greater attention.
“You are committed to a fair and equitable approach. But the road is still long,” said Mr de Croo. “Today, therefore, words alone are not enough, concrete steps must also be taken,” he added. “The victims must be heard. They should be central. They have a right to the truth. [. . .] To be able to look into the future, the Church needs to come clean on its past."
Knowing well the evil done by this wound in the Belgian Catholic community, a private meeting has been arranged between the pontiff and about 15 victims scarred by these abuses, set to take place this evening.
But Francis further expressed his outrage by referring to the Gospel story centred on the massacre of the Innocents.
“We think of the time of the Holy Innocents and say, ‘Oh what a tragedy, what did King Herod do!’ but today there is this crime in the Church. The Church must be ashamed, ask for pardon and try to solve this situation with Christian humility and by putting in all the measures necessary to ensure that it does not happen again.
“Someone might say to me, ‘Your Holiness, according to the statistics, the vast majority of abuses are in the family, in the neighbourhood, in the world of sport or in school.’ Yet, even one case is enough for us to be ashamed! In the Church we must ask pardon for this; others can ask forgiveness for their part. This is our shame and humiliation.”
Francis also expressed regret for another tragic episode, namely the "forced adoptions" in Belgium of the children of single mothers, between the 1950s and the 1970s.
“Frequently, the family and other actors in society, including within the Church, thought that in order to avoid the stigma that unfortunately fell upon unmarried mothers in those times, it would be preferable for the good of both the child and the mother that the child be given up for adoption.
“There were even cases in which some women were not given the possibility of choosing between keeping their children or giving them up for adoption. This is actually happening today in some cultures and countries.
“As the successor of the Apostle Peter, I pray to the Lord that the Church will always find within herself the strength to bring clarity and never conform to the predominant culture, even when that culture uses, in a manipulative way, values derived from the Gospel, drawing from it inauthentic conclusions that cause suffering and exclusion.”
As he asked for forgiveness, Francis strongly underlined how much the history of Belgium can constitute a precious memory for the world disfigured by the return of war, echoing what he said yesterday's in Luxembourg.
“[H]istory is the often unheeded magistra vitae and Belgium’s history calls Europe to return to its path, rediscover its true identity, and invest once again in the future by opening itself to life and hope by overcoming the demographic winter and the torments of war!
“These are the two calamities we face right now. We are seeing the nightmare of war, which can still turn into a world war. And the demographic winter; that is why we have to be pragmatic and have more children!”
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