The beatification process for Belgian King Baudouin began on 17 December, according to a note from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, reported by Vatican News.
Pope Francis announced during his visit to Belgium in September that he would initiate the "beatification process" for Belgium's fifth king upon his return to the Vatican.
The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, responsible for researching beatification and canonisation causes in the Catholic Church, has started the procedure by forming an Ordinary Historical Commission.
This commission, composed of eminent specialists in archival research and Belgian history, will gather and evaluate documentation on King Baudouin, according to the note reported by Vatican News.
The Vatican has apparently ignored Belgium’s colonial legacy linked to the King and his role in Belgian Congo when it became independent in 1960, only to plunge into civil war and its first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba assassinated.
Experts caution that the process could take several years. Ultimately, it will be the Pope who decides whether to proceed with the beatification through a papal decree.
King Baudouin reigned over Belgium from 1951 until his death in 1993. In 1990, he declared himself unable to rule for 36 hours to avoid signing a bill on the partial decriminalisation of abortion, citing his faith as the reason.
Pope Francis, who visited King Baudouin's tomb in the royal crypt at Laeken in September, praised the King's "courage" for choosing to abdicate temporarily rather than sign what he called a "murderous law". The Pope's comments on abortion and other remarks about women have particularly shocked the academic, medical and activist communities.
