Pope Francis says goodbye to Belgium and returns to the Vatican

On this Sunday morning, after finishing the Holy Mass, Pope Francis’ brief but intense trip to Luxembourg and Belgium concluded.

The plane in which the Holy Father is traveling along with journalists and members of the Roman Curia took off from the Belgian airport after 1:00 p.m. bound for Rome.

In just 3 days, the Holy Father has visited these two countries in the heart of Europe, from where he has insisted on the need to “make children” in the face of low birth rates and denounced the serious problem of abuse within the Church .

Two moments of this apostolic trip, the 46th of his pontificate, stood out especially: the meeting that the Pontiff had with 17 victims of abuse in Belgium and his silent prayer in front of the tomb of King Baudouin.

After listening to the testimonies of the survivors, Pope Francis departed from the official text to warn during his homily that “everyone fits in the Church, but everyone will be judged” and insisted that in the Church “there is no place to cover up abuse.”

His moment of prayer in front of the tomb of Baudouin, the king who abdicated to avoid signing the law that allowed abortion in his country, will also remain in the memory of the Belgian people.

In fact, the Holy Father reported that upon his return to Rome he will open the beatification process of this deeply Catholic monarch and asked the country’s bishops to “commit to this cause.”

Also worth mentioning is the beatification in today’s Mass of the Spanish Ana de Jesús, the “right hand” of Saint Teresa of Ávila who helped expand the Discalced Carmelites to France and Belgium at the beginning of the 17th century.

As he passed through Luxembourg, he urged the faithful to accept the challenge of being “a Church that does not retreat, but rather goes out and evangelizes in the midst of a secularized society.”

Also worth highlighting is the meeting he held in Belgium with the professors of the Catholic University of Louvain, within the framework of its 600th anniversary.

There, he urged “to seek the truth in a world that risks falling victim to soulless rationalism.”

In his speech from the University, he highlighted three Christian attitudes necessary to address the care of our common home: gratitude, mission and fidelity.

As is usual on his trips, Pope Francis changed the route of the official program on several occasions, starring in emotional meetings, such as the one he had with elderly people without resources in Belgium, his breakfast with homeless people or his brief meeting with refugee families.

He also surprised when he decided to stop by surprise at a cafe in Luxembourg to have a coffee.

The Holy Father is scheduled to land at the airport Fiumicino from Rome after 3:00 p.m.