Pope Francis arrives in Belgium for next leg of Europe tour | ABS-CBN News

Pope Francis landed in Belgium on Thursday night (September 26) to continue on his Europe trip, after a daylong visit in Luxembourg.

The 87-year-old pontiff was welcomed by Belgian King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and Prime Minister Alexander de Croo at Melsbroek air base, where a welcome ceremony featured children performing for the pope on the tarmac.

It is a rare European visit for Francis. He has tended to go to places never visited by a pope, or where Catholics are a small minority.

In Belgium, he will hold a private meeting with 15 survivors of abuse, the country's ambassador to the Vatican, Patrick Renault, said.

More than 700 complaints and reports of abuse involving the church have been made in Belgium since 2012, according to a church report. In March, the pope expelled from the priesthood a former Belgian bishop who admitted to sexually abusing two nephews.
(Production: Ardee Napolitano)

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