Belgian Prime Minister summons the Nuncio after the Pope’s statements on abortion

The Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, described Pope Francis’ recent statements on abortion as “unacceptable” and reported that he has called the Apostolic Nuncio, Mons. Franco Coppola, to hold a meeting.

On his trip to Belgium on September 28, the Holy Father visited the tomb of King Baudouin and praised his bravery when he decided to “leave his position as king so as not to sign a murderous law.”

Likewise, during the press conference he offered on the plane back to Rome, he reiterated his desire to beatify the monarch and stated that having an abortion “is killing a human being.”

He asserted that this practice is murder and that “the Church does not allow abortion because it kills,” while asserting that the doctors who practice it are “hitmen.”

These statements, according to local press of the Belgian country, were the center of the debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday, October 3.

The prime minister denounced that Pope Francis’ words on abortion occurred while in Belgium the possibility of extending the legal term for abortion to 18 weeks is being studied.

For De Croo, the Holy Father’s intervention “in a national debate that is the subject of intense discussions is totally unacceptable” and he stated that he would be “very clear” with the Nuncio, a decision that was also received with applause from the opposition.

He also stressed that “we do not need lessons on how our parliamentarians democratically vote on laws” and reiterated that, fortunately, “the times when the Church dictated the law in our country are behind us.”

He also asked for “respect” for doctors, “who do their work within a legal framework” and for women, “who should be able to freely dispose of their bodies, without interference from the Church.”

Other deputies also defined Pope Francis’ words as “a provocation” and described his vision of women as “obsolete.”

Specifically, socialist deputy Caroline Désir addressed the prime minister to rebuke him for having received “a religious leader who exploited his visit to express his most retrograde and patriarchal positions on women.”

Alexander de Croo had the opportunity to greet the Holy Father during his meeting with the country’s authorities and diplomatic corps last Saturday morning.

Although De Croo did not refer to abortion during his speech, he urged not to ignore “the painful wounds that exist in the Catholic community and in civil society,” as well as the “numerous cases of sexual abuse and forced adoptions” that have “ undermined his confidence.”