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Pope Francis looks down as he leads holy mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on September 8, 2024.  Tiziana Fabi, AFP/File

Pope Francis looks down as he leads holy mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on September 8, 2024. - Pope Francis is leading holy mass at the Sir Guise Stadium during his four day visit to Papua New Guinea from September 6-9. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

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Pope Francis

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1727605731383AFP__20240907__36FT6B8__v3__Preview__TopshotPngVaticanPopeReligion.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Pope Francis looks down as he leads holy mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on September 8, 2024.  Tiziana Fabi, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pope Francis looks down as he leads holy mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on September 8, 2024.  <em>Tiziana Fabi, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>BRUSSELS, Belgium (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) -- Pope Francis implored bishops not to cover up the sexual abuse of children, during an open-air mass on Sunday that capped a three-day visit to Belgium, which is still struggling with the legacy of past scandals.</p><p>Gathered in bright morning sunshine, about 40,000 faithful, some waving Belgian and Vatican flags, packed the King Baudouin stadium north of the capital to hear the 87-year-old pontiff.</p><p>&quot;There is no place for abuse, there is no place for covering up abuse,&quot; Francis said during a homily.</p><p>&quot;I ask everyone not to cover up abuse, I ask the bishops not to cover up abuse, to condemn the abusers and help them heal themselves of this disease of abuse.&quot;</p><p>During his stay, the pontiff was pressed by Belgian authorities and victims&#x27; advocates on the Catholic Church&#x27;s handling of child sexual abuse, which was put back on the front pages by a hard-hitting documentary last year.</p><p>The Belgian documentary prompted around 200 more people to come forward with allegations that they were abused by members of the Church, adding to around 1,000 cases reported before then.</p><p>On Friday, Francis met with 17 victims. &quot;I felt their suffering,&quot; he told the Sunday mass.</p><p>&quot;Evil must not be hidden, evil must be brought out into the open, let it be known,&quot; he added, calling for all perpetrators to be judged.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/26/pope-francis-begins-trip-to-the-heart-of-europe-1008">READ: Pope Francis begins trip to &#x27;the heart of Europe&#x27;</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/27/pope-says-church-must-seek-forgiveness-for-child-sexual-abuse-1728">READ: Pope says Church must &#x27;seek forgiveness&#x27; for child sexual abuse</a></div><div><strong>- Women and values -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ff4TrW7lg00?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>The program of Sunday&#x27;s mass had to be changed at the last minute after it emerged that the closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual abuse.</div><p>The blunder prompted the head of the Belgian bishops&#x27; conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the Church needed to better monitor cases and perpetrators.</p><p>While the question of abuse cast a shadow throughout his stay, the Argentine pontiff was given a rapturous welcome at Sunday&#x27;s mass, where young people and families cheered as he toured the venue in his Popemobile.</p><p>&quot;He transmits all kinds of values,&quot; Olivier Caillet, 44, from Brussels, said of the pope, praising his welcoming stance on migration.</p><p>&quot;He&#x27;s a bit like the pope of surprises, he&#x27;s with the underprivileged... he&#x27;s opening up new possibilities, trying to change people&#x27;s consciences so that we don&#x27;t close borders like barriers.&quot;</p><p>Belgium&#x27;s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were also in attendance at the mass, which Francis used to appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the wider Middle East.</p><p>&quot;I call on all parties to immediately cease fire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine and Israel,&quot; the pontiff said, as Israel continued to target the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon.</p><p>On the flight back to Rome, he slams the &quot;immoral&quot; use of force in the region.</p><p>&quot;Defense must always be proportional to the attack. When this is not the case, a dominating tendency appears that goes beyond morality,&quot; he told reporters traveling with him when asked about the effects of Israel strikes on civilians.</p><p>&quot;Even in war there is a morality to defend. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicate a form of morality.&quot;</p><p>Francis&#x27;s visit, the first by a pope to Belgium since John Paul II in 1995, also highlighted the growing disconnect between the Vatican and some faithful in progressive, secular countries over issues such as gender inequality.</p><p>On Saturday, he was challenged during a frank exchange with students about the place of women in the Church -- after paying tribute to a former sovereign who took a public stance against abortion.</p><p>His response, describing women as daughters, sisters and mothers upset some, with the Catholic university hosting the meeting later expressing its &quot;incomprehension and disapproval&quot; at the reductive view.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t understand why women can&#x27;t become priests. It&#x27;s something that was established because it was rooted in society at the time, but now we&#x27;ve moved on,&quot; Alice Vanwijnsberghe, an 18-year-old student, told AFP after attending a festival with 6,000 young Catholics.</p><p>During his traditional press conference on board the plane flying him back to Rome, the pontiff saluted former Belgian monarch King Baudouin&#x27;s bravery for opposing a law in favor of abortion in 1990.</p><p>&quot;The king was courageous because faced with this murderous law, he did not sign, and he resigned,&quot; the pope said. &quot;That takes courage.&quot;</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZN7_YuBxK3k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Pope Francis presided over an open-air mass in Brussels on Sunday, capping a three-day visit to Belgium that grappled with past scandals and current debates over the role of women in the Catholic Church.</p>

Pope Francis presided over an open-air mass in Brussels on Sunday, capping a three-day visit to Belgium that grappled with past scandals and current debates over the role of women in the Catholic Church.

Pope denounces abuse cover-ups as he wraps thorny Belgium visit

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Pope denounces abuse cover-ups as he wraps thorny Belgium visit

Agence France-Presse,

Clement Melki and Umberto Bacchi

Published Sep 29, 2024 06:59 PM PHT

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Updated Sep 30, 2024 12:17 AM PHT

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