The head of the Catholic Church is due to touch down in Brussels on Thursday evening, but State officials remain tight-lipped about how much Pope Francis' visit to Belgium will cost the taxpayer.
The Pope is visiting Belgium at the invitation of the Catholic universities of UC Louvain and KU Leuven to celebrate their 600th anniversary. During his stay, Pope Francis will travel throughout Brussels, Leuven, Koekelberg, and Louvain-la-Neuve to participate in multiple festivities and meetings, culminating in a Holy Mass for 35,000 people at King Baudouin Stadium on Sunday.
According to the official website for the Pontiff's trip to Belgium, expenses for his visit are being split between the two universities, the Belgian Government, and the Belgian Catholic Church.
UC Louvain and KU Leuven are covering costs for the Pope's visit to their campuses. The Belgian State is covering a reception of Pope Francis as a head of state, and Belgium's Catholic Church is "supporting the pastoral visit," including organising the mass on Sunday.
No official figures have been released for how much the visit will cost, nor what share of the cost is being borne by the Belgian taxpayer.
Unofficial estimates from La Libre put the total cost of the Pope's four-day trip at around €3 million. Last September, the Pope's two-day trip to Marseille in France was estimated by local French media to cost around €2.5 million, including €1.3 million for the mass at the Stade Vélodrome alone.
Major costs for the Pope's visit to Belgium are expected to include security measures (potentially several hundred thousand euros according to La Libre), audiovisual resources, and renting King Baudouin Stadium (expected to be between €150,000 and €200,000).
Officials not commenting on costs
In response to a query from The Brussels Times, Belgium's Federal Department for Foreign Affairs did not provide any figures regarding how much the State is contributing to the cost of the Pope's visit.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that an official visit from a head of state involves "several categories of costs," including security, vehicle hire, staff, accommodation and ceremonies. "These costs are borne by the invited party and by the various State bodies and other bodies involved, such as the companies and universities visited, etc.," they said.
"In the case of the Pope's visit, the costs are shared between KU Leuven, UC Louvain, the Church of Belgium, as well as the Home Affairs Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the federal and local police forces and the Royal Palace, etc.," they added.
Meanwhile, the municipality of Leuven said "it is not possible to quantify [the costs]." The City of Brussels and local Brussels police did not respond to a request for comment.
KU Leuven (Left) and UC Louvain (Right). Credit: Belga
When contacted by The Brussels Times, neither university could provide a specific figure on costs. UC Louvain said it simply did not "have an overall picture of the costs," while KU Leuven's press officer stated: "We do not communicate any details about that cost."
While UC Louvain and KU Leuven are private institutions, they both receive public funding. UC Louvain did confirm to The Brussels Times that it will "without a doubt" know the costs once the trip is over.
Spokesperson for the Belgian Bishop's Conference, Geert De Kerpel, told The Brussels Times that they are not currently commenting on the cost of the visit. "We do not yet have an overview of expenditure, as we are in the midst of preparing for the papal visit. The same applies to donations," they said.
The Belgian Bishop's Conference has appealed for donations to help "reach the budget" for the Pope's visit, a move which has been the subject of some criticism.
