Pope Francis: “The Church should be ashamed and apologize” – What happened and upset

“It’s a shame. Shame. Today, in the church itself, this crime is happening, the church should be ashamed and apologize,” said the Pontiff from Belgium, where he is visiting. He also deplored the “forced adoptions” of children in Belgium who were taken away from their mothers between the 1950s and 1970s with nuns having been involved. As he said, “in these harrowing stories, the bitter fruit of a crime was mixed with what was unfortunately the result of a widespread mentality in all strata of society.”

For his part, the outgoing Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexandre de Croix, stated that “we cannot ignore the painful wounds that exist in the Catholic community and in society in general. The numerous cases of sexual violence and forced adoptions have seriously damaged trust.”

“When something goes wrong, we can’t accept that we cover it up. This hurts everyone’s valuable work. Today, words are no longer enough. Specific measures are needed. The victims must be the focus. They have the right to the truth, the atrocities must be recognized,” underlined Alexander De Croo, adding that “it is not only a moral obligation, but also a necessary step to regain trust. Human dignity must prevail over the interests of the institution.” “In order to be able to look to the future again, the church must come to terms with its past,” he pointed out.

In his greeting on the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to Belgium, King Philippe of the Belgians said of the victims of sexual abuse: “You have taken concrete action to fight this heinous violence” and added that “the children have suffered horribly, a lifetime was marked. The same applies to victims of forced adoption. It took so long for their cry to be heard and recognized. So long to find ways to fix the irreparable.”

Theodorikakos: Over 8.5 million in environmental infrastructure – We support modern industry

Theodora Glixburg: The official announcement, groomsmen and bridesmaids to be discussed

Norway: Says “no” to hypertourism

Prince Harry: Revelation about the member of the royal family – Why he screamed and swore at a journalist (video)