From Crux:
Belgium, Vatican in diplomatic row over pope’s language on abortion
ROME – Belgium’s Prime Minister has announced that he will summon the Vatican’s ambassador to protest remarks on abortion by Pope Francis at the close of a visit to the country last Sunday, which he claims constitute “unacceptable” interference in his country’s domestic affairs.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for a foreign head of state to make such statements about democratic decision-making in our country,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Thursday during a session in Belgium’s Chamber of Deputies.
“We do not need lessons on how our parliamentarians democratically approve laws,” De Croo said. “Fortunately, the time when the church dictated laws in our country is long gone.”
De Croo had used his own meeting with Francis last Friday to publicly scold the pontiff for the church’s handling of clerical sexual abuse scandals, which have hit Belgium particularly hard.
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The Crux article noted:
"This is not the first time that Belgium has objected to a pope’s comments on a sensitive ethical issue.
"When the late Pope Benedict XVI visited Cameroon in 2009, he told reporters that condoms are not only not the solution to HIV/AIDS, in some cases they actually make the problem worse.
"In response, the Belgian parliament voted 95-18 to urge the country’s government "to condemn the unacceptable stance taken by the pope on the occasion of his trip to Africa, and to lodge an official protest with the Holy See.”
'It was believed to be the first time a European parliament had formally censured a pope."
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Popes Benedict XVI, as well as Francis, "angered" and "polarized" folks in Belgium who refused to embrace truth. Conversely, those in Belgium who desired truth welcomed the teachings espoused by holy Popes Benedict XVI, as well as Francis.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Excerpts from a National Catholic Register editorial. October 3, 2024 A.D:
-- Pope Speaks Truth to a Nation ‘That Is No Longer Listening’
"The response to the Holy Father’s remarks on abortion and women says more about the capitulation of the once-Catholic country of Belgium to secularism than about the Church."
"The hostile reaction of Catholic progressives to comments made by Pope Francis during his brief trip to Belgium regarding the role of women and abortion was very telling — especially in the context of this week’s launch of the final session of the Synod on Synodality.
"The acrimonious response was wildly out of proportion to what the Holy Father had to say on both topics...
"This reminder about the responsibility of Catholics to oppose pro-abortion legislation was harshly condemned by some local commentators as impermissible papal meddling in Belgium’s domestic affairs.
"The response to the Pope’s comments about the role of women in the Church, made during his trip to the Catholic University of Louvain, was even more hyperbolic.
"Clearly primed for a spat beforehand, the Catholic university’s administration issued a critical press release as soon as the Holy Father finished speaking.
"Obviously, the Pope’s benign observations didn’t merit this predetermined venting of vitriol. So why were some local Catholics determined to target the Holy Father?
Obviously, the Pope’s benign observations didn’t merit this predetermined venting of vitriol. So why were some local Catholics determined to target the Holy Father?
"The overarching explanation is their criticisms reflect the depressing reality that the local Church has been almost completely overwhelmed by contemporary Belgium’s pervasive secularization.
"They are also unhappy that the synod’s organizers were forced to shift further discussion of women’s ordination, and other preferred progressive agendas like outreach to LGBT individuals, away from the final synod gathering, thereby depriving progressives of an opportunity to claim that their agendas have won endorsement from a global Church process.
"Because of this, they disrespectfully sought to embarrass Francis during his stay in their nation.
"The good news is that the Pope was not dismayed by their criticism, defending his remarks forcefully when questioned by reporters during his return flight back to Rome on Sunday."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Credit where it is due: well done Papa. If you worry about how people might respond, you will have to never speak (which will also make people angry) so just speak the truth and let the reactions be what they will be.
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