A total of 524 Belgian citizens have signed an open letter asking to be debaptised following Pope Francis' "disappointing" visit to Belgium last month.
The letter is addressed to the Apostolic Nuncio, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the seven dioceses of Belgium. Signatories denounce the Pope's "unacceptable" comments on women and abortion during his visit to Belgium in September.
"I am writing to inform you of my decision to no longer be bound in any way to the Catholic Church," the letter reads. "Please consider this letter my formal act of departure from the Church."
The Pope referred to women as "fertile hosts, carers and vital devotees" during his speech at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain). He also described doctors who performed abortions as "hitmen" and said that the partial decriminalisation of abortion was a "murderous law".
"People were very disappointed by the visit," co-organiser of the initiative Stéphane Vanden Eede told The Brussels Times, adding that debaptism is political as well as symbolic.
"It is political because there is a large group of Belgians who no longer want to be on the Catholic Church's register," he said. "The Church is awarded funding based on [the number of Catholics registered in the country] and it is time to ask objective questions about the numbers."
524 people "from all walks of life and philosophical backgrounds" signed the letter in just under three weeks.
Faith in Pope Francis 'fell apart'
Vanden Eede was born in Etterbeek and was raised as a Roman Catholic. However, his encounters with laïcité (secularism) led him to distance himself from his religious upbringing from a young age.
Initially, he saw Pope Francis' emphasis on the environment and gender equality as an opportunity for the Catholic Church to become more progressive. However, the Papal visit to Belgium this year caused this belief to "fall apart" and he was prompted to co-publish the open letter, which he says is a "community effort."
Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
"Society needs to reflect on the relationship between the Church and the State. A citizen's consultation on this subject is important."
Almost 5,000 people previously asked to be debaptised after the VRT documentary Godvergeten (loosely translated as 'Godforsaken' in English) aired in September 2023. The investigation compiled the testimonies of victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests and covered up by the Church.
