Rik Devillé, founder of the Working Group on Human Rights in the Church, says he was pleasantly surprised by Alexander De Croo’s critical speech on Friday at the Palace of Laeken.
Speaking at a meeting during Pope Francis' visit to the official residence of Belgium's royal family, the outgoing Prime Minister sharply criticised the Catholic Church's legacy of sex abuses and cover-ups.
Prime Minister De Croo called on the institution to “regain the deeply damaged trust” following the sexual abuse scandals within the Church.
“When something goes wrong we cannot accept cover-ups,” he stressed. “Today, words alone are not enough. We also need concrete steps.”
Devillé, a retired priest, believes Pope Francis adjusted his speech because of De Croo’s remarks.
The Pope's prepared text was brief on the subject of sexual violence, but he decided to elaborate further.
“This is a disgrace we must confront,” the pontiff responded, labelling sexual violence a “scourge” and a “crime.”
“The Church must feel ashamed, ask for forgiveness, and tackle this issue with Christian humility, doing everything in its power to make sure it never happens again,” he added.
Devillé said he left the meeting at Laeken with a positive feeling.
“Every additional word about the victims is a good thing,” he said. “The Pope reiterated to the Belgian bishops that they must do more to combat violence.”
