BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)
National Review [New York NY]
September 30, 2024
By David Zimmerman
Pope Francis urged Catholic bishops to be more transparent and aggressive in combatting child sex abuse in the Church during his visit to Belgium on Sunday, declaring that “evil must not be hidden” and “must be brought out into the open.”
“Let it be known, as some abuse victims have done, and with courage,” Francis said in Brussels. “Let it be known. And let the abuser be judged. Let the abuser be judged, whether layperson, priest or bishop: Let the abuser be judged.”
The Pope’s remarks came two days after Belgium’s prime minister and king severely criticized him for the Catholic Church’s failure to prevent child sex abuse and make amends with survivors. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for the Church to take “concrete steps” to adequately address the problem instead of merely paying lip service to solving it. King Philippe agreed.
“It has taken far too long for the cries to be heard and acknowledged. It has taken far too long to begin looking for ways to repair the irreparable,” Philippe said on Friday during a meeting with Francis and De Croo.
That day, Francis met with 17 victims of sex abuse for two hours and said he would “study” their requests. The Pope was given a letter, in which psychologically damaged survivors asked for a universal system of reparations within the Catholic Church.
Francis alluded to that Friday meeting in his Sunday speech before thousands of people at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
“I heard their suffering as abuse victims and I repeat here: In the Church, there is room for everyone, everyone, everyone, but we will all be judged and there is no place for abuse, no place for covering up abuse. I ask everyone: Do not cover up abuses,” he proclaimed. “I ask the bishops: Do not cover up abuses. Condemn the abusers and help them to heal from this disease of abuse.”
Over 700 cases of clergy abuse have been reported in Belgium since 2012, per a 2022 report by the Catholic Church.
Since entering office a decade ago, the pontiff has taken some steps to prevent sexual abuse of minors committed by clergymen. Francis, for example, established the first high-level papal commission to address clerical abuse in 2014. He also oversaw the creation of a global reporting system for Catholics to report suspicions of abuse or cover-ups.
Despite these well-intended efforts, Francis has faced sharp criticism for not doing enough to ensure transparency and prevent future abuse. The Vatican has provided no statistics on the number of bishops it had investigated or sanctioned over child abuse, and the papal commission meant to protect minors admitted it has structural problems that are harming victims and preventing justice.
“Recent publicly reported cases point to tragically harmful deficiencies in the norms intended to punish abusers and hold accountable those whose duty is to address wrongdoing,” the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors said in a call-to-action message last year. “We are long overdue in fixing the flaws in procedures that leave victims wounded and in the dark both during and after cases have been decided.”
Francis’s actions to deal with child sex abuse have also been undermined by his failure to condemn clergymen within the Catholic Church’s ranks. The Pope has refused to deprive confessed child molester Jean-Pierre Ricard of his Cardinal status and has even protected his own friend, Slovenian priest and artist Marko Rupnik, who allegedly sexually assaulted women for over 30 years. Francis waived the statute of limitations on the allegations made against Rupnik last year.