Pope Francis has said that the Catholic Church must "seek forgiveness" for the child abuse scandal involving the abuse of children by clergy. Addressing political and civil leaders at Laeken Palace, the 87-year-old Pope acknowledged the "tragic instances of child abuse" that have spoiled the Church’s legacy. He called it "our shame and humiliation," and said that the Church must feel guilt and seek forgiveness for the harm caused.

As part of his three-day visit to Belgium, Francis was scheduled to meet around 15 survivors of clerical sexual abuse later in the day. The meeting, to be held at the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Brussels, was being arranged with "utmost discretion," according to the Belgian Church. This comes due to recent documentary that brought the country’s abuse scandal back into the spotlight, resulting in new victims to come forward.

In an open letter published earlier this month, several victims urged the pope to take action on pedophilia within the Church and to establish a financial compensation process for the survivors. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo dittoed these sentiments, stating that "words alone are not enough" and calling for "concrete measures" to address the issue.

Child Abuse Scandal
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Pope Francis has made addressing sexual abuse a central goal of his papacy, promoting a "zero tolerance" policy in response to the global scandals that have emerged. He reassured the Belgian audience that the Church is working to handle the crisis by listening to survivors, supporting them, and implementing prevention programs worldwide.

The pope also expressed sadness over Belgium's forced adoption scandal, in which institutions run by nuns took babies from underage girls and unmarried women between 1945 and the 1980s. Reports suggest that as many as 30,000 children were taken from their mothers during this period. Last year, bishops in Belgium apologized and asked for an independent investigation after new testimonies were seen.

Even after these efforts, trust between the Church and society remains damaged. Ongoing challenges were seen when an open-air mass scheduled for the pope's visit had to be altered because its closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual abuse. Archbishop Luc Terlinden acknowledged the Church’s need to improve its handling of such cases with the help of experts.

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