Pope Francis urges all members of the Church to never cover up sexual abuse

Pope Francis has urged all members of the Church to never cover up abuse, saying "Evil must not be hidden."

Speaking to a crowd of around 39,000 in the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, the pontiff wrapped up a difficult visit to Belgium by saying, "There is no place for the covering up of abuse."

"Let us think of what happens when little ones are scandalised, hurt, abused by those who are supposed to care for them, of the wounds of pain and helplessness, first of all in the victims, but also in their families and in the community as a whole," he said.

"The church has not done enough. Certainly here in Belgium and in other countries, too. And that's a scandal. That's absolutely true. But that doesn't take away my belief," one attendee told Euronews.

But despite the positive response to the Pope's words in Brussels, his comments during his in-flight press conference on the way home sparked some controversy.

He praised Belgium's late King Baudouin as a "saint" for having abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than sign legislation legalising abortion.

"You need a politician who wears pants to do this," Francis said, adding that Baudouin's beatification process would begin upon his return to the Vatican.

Francis drew criticism from some in Belgium for praying at Baudouin's tomb and for calling the abortion law "homicidal," given that abortion remains a political issue in Belgium, with new proposals to extend the legal limit on an abortion from 12 to 18 weeks.

"Doctors that do this are – allow me the word – hitmen. They are hit men. And on this you cannot argue. You are killing a human life. And women have the right to protect life," he said on his flight back to Italy.

A difficult history

The pontiff's visit to Belgium was always going to be difficult, a country with a woeful record of sexual abuse and cover-ups by the Church. 

On Friday, he met with 17 abuse survivors, where he heard first-hand of the trauma and suffering they endured and the tone-deaf response of the church when they reported the crimes.

He was called upon by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, by the King of Belgium, and by survivors themselves, to compensate those who have suffered. 

The main reason for the trip was to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Leuven/Louvain Catholic University, the oldest Catholic university in the world and long the Vatican’s academic fiefdom in Belgium.

Belgium has had a legacy of abuse and cover-up within the Catholic church, notably the case of Bruges bishop Roger Vangheluwe. 

He was allowed to quietly retire in 2010 after admitting that he sexually abused his nephew for 13 years.  

Pope Francis only defrocked him this year — 14 years after his confession — in a move seen as finally dealing with a longstanding abuse before his arrival in Belgium. 

It's unclear if Francis or his entourage expected such sharp public expressions of outrage or the pointed calls for gender reform from Belgium's intellectual elite.

He has ruled out ordaining women as priests and has refused so far to budge on demands to allow women to serve as deacons, who perform many of the same tasks as priests.

He has now taken the women’s issue off the table for debate at the Vatican's upcoming three-week synod because it’s too thorny to be dealt with in such a short time.