Pope Francis said on Friday that child abuse “is the shame and humiliation of the Church” and added: “we only have to ask for forgiveness,” during a speech to authorities on his first day of official business in Belgium.
For his part, the Belgian acting Prime Minister, Alexander De Croÿ, has called on Pope Francis to take concrete steps in relation to the abuse of minors by members of the Church and to “listen to the victims”, in addition to recognising “the atrocities” and doing justice.
This was stated in a speech to the Pope at the Laeken Castle, the royal residence, where Pope Francis visited on his first day of official business in Belgium. ” Human dignity must come first, not the interests of the institution. In order to look forward, the Church must come to terms with its past,” he said.
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