Pope Francis affirmed in Belgium that the Church must apologize for sexual abuse of minors

Swissinfo

Brussels.-Pope Francis affirmed this Friday that the Catholic Church must seek “forgiveness” for the “scourge” of sexual abuse of minors, in a speech before political and civil society representatives in Belgium.

“The Church must be ashamed and ask for forgiveness, and try to resolve this situation with Christian humility, and do everything possible so that it does not happen again,” the Pope said at the meeting, in which Belgian King Philippe participated.

“I think about the dramatic cases of abuse of minors, a scourge that the Church is facing with determination and firmness, listening to and accompanying injured people and implementing a broad prevention program throughout the world,” he said.

“This is the shame that we all have to assume now, apologize for it, and solve the problem,” he said.

In his speech, the Argentine pope made reference to a huge scandal that shook the Belgian church last year, related to abuse of minors and forced adoptions of children from single mothers.

“I am saddened by the phenomenon of ‘forced adoptions’, also present here in Belgium between the 50s and 70s of the last century,” he said.

The Belgian website HLN estimates that some 30,000 children were taken from their mothers in Belgium between 1945 and the 1980s.

“In those thorny stories the bitter fruit of a crime and an offense was mixed with what was unfortunately the result of a mentality widespread in all strata of society,” the Pope said.

“Frequently, families and other social entities, including the Church, thought that to remove the negative stigma, which unfortunately in those times affected those who were single mothers, it would be better for both, mother and child, for the latter to be adopted.” , he noted.

In another order, Pope Francis warned that “we are close to an almost global war” and hoped that “the rulers know how to assume their responsibility, the risk and the honor of peace,” during his speech to the Belgian authorities at the castle of Laeken, in its first official act in Belgium.

“I pray that those responsible for nations, looking at Belgium and its history, know how to learn from this and, thus, spare their people incessant catastrophes and innumerable mourning. “I pray that rulers know how to assume their responsibility, the risk and honor of peace, and know how to remove the danger, ignominy and absurdity of war,” the Pope said.

And he added: “I pray that they fear the judgment of conscience, of history and of God, and convert their gaze and hearts, always putting the common good first.”

Before the Belgian kings Philip and Matilda and the acting prime minister, Alexander De Croo, with whom he met today, he wished that Belgium would be “a bridge, therefore, indispensable to build peace and repudiate war.”

“This way you understand how big little Belgium is. It is understood the need that Europe has for it to remind itself of its history, made up of peoples and cultures, of cathedrals and universities, of conquests of human ingenuity, but also of so many wars and a will to dominate that sometimes became in colonialism and exploitation,” he recalled.

And he added that “Europe needs Belgium to carry forward the path of peace and fraternity among the peoples that form it” especially “if they begin to disregard borders and treaties, and the right to create law is left to arms.” , subverting what is in force, Pandora’s box is uncovered and all the winds begin to blow violently, beating against the house and threatening to destroy it.”

And he advocated for “constant and timely cultural, social and political action, both brave and prudent and that excludes a future in which the idea and practice of war, with its catastrophic consequences, once again become a viable option.” .

From Belgium “Europe is called to resume its path, to recover its true face, to trust again in the future, opening itself to life, to hope, to overcome the demographic winter and the hell of war,” he asserted.Infobae.