(8o) Pope Francis I visited Belgium - Not a real success

The Roman Catholic Church struggles to do good even when it tries, as it remains trapped in outdated worldviews that even the Pope cannot change within the institution he leads. Pope Francis himself appears unable to fully overcome these entrenched beliefs.

Pope Francis I recently visited Belgium to improve relations and reconnect with a Church that has lost many followers over the past few decades, partly due to the widespread sexual abuse of children by priests, which was then covered up by Church authorities to protect its reputation. The legacy of conservative Pope John Paul II, consistently praising "traditional families" but condemning LGBTQ individuals who are part of families, preaching against contraception and abortion while allowing the Church to conceal abuses, still lingers today by many. On the other hand, increasing numbers of people stopped attending Church because they saw a discrepancy between its teachings on LGBTQ issues and contraceptives and their own experiences, coupled with a perceived hypocrisy as many clergy members are themselves LGBTQ, despite preaching against it. Additionally, for many, the lack of evidence for God's existence, or the belief that He permits religious extremists to oppress or even kill others, further alienated people from the Church. As a result, the number of practicing Catholics in Belgium continues to decline, with many actively seeking to be removed from Church records, further shrinking its official membership.

In an effort to show goodwill, Pope Francis accepted an invitation to visit Belgium from the Catholic University of Leuven, which is celebrating its 600th anniversary. He also attended a Christian youth festival where he was warmly welcomed. However, not everything went smoothly, and later the mood changed.

While the Pope expressed regret over the sexual abuse of children by priests in Belgium (as well as in other countries), he only met privately with some victims, offering apologies in closed settings. Although many victims felt heard by the Church for the first time, there was no public apology. Indeed, saying "sorry" can be difficult, even for religious leaders. However, it's important to recognize that the Church is not the only institution that failed; law enforcement and judicial systems often did not believe the children who came forward, allowing perpetrators to continue their lives as members of the establishment. This has fueled beliefs in networks of powerful individuals protecting each other, leading to conspiracy theories like QAnon and movements like #MeToo. At the same time, the Roman Catholic Church condemns consensual love between members of the same sex, although Pope Francis I correctly said: Who am I to judge. But, conservative Christians did not reflect about his comment but instead condemned the Pope as the antichrist. 

At the Université Catholique de Louvain, Pope Francis was questioned about the role of women in the Church. He stated that women are essential as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers, and even suggested they are more important than men. Yet, he failed to advocate for a greater role for women within the Church or society at large, merely saying they should not aspire to be like men. I accept, he made some efforts at the start of his papency to increase the position of women within the Church. But, in 2021, the "synod on synodality" opened discussions on the future role of women in the Church, including the possibility of ordaining female priests. However, the recent conclusion was that women should remain subordinate to men, with even the ordination of female deacons deemed unacceptable, despite women playing significant roles in the early history of the Catholic Church. But, gradually men with "heavenly" and those with "earthly" powers grabbed power and became the exclusive centrepoint who maintained each others power, although often also fighting against each other when they wanted exclusive powers over everyone. 

During his visit, the Pope paid his respects at the grave of a Belgian king who had temporarily abdicated so that Belgium could pass legislation allowing abortion. This move allowed the king to maintain his reputation as a defender of the unborn while avoiding blocking the law. The Pope referred to these laws as "murderous" and called the doctors who perform abortions "assassins," expressing a desire to canonize the king. Yet, abortion is not just about terminating unwanted pregnancies; it also concerns saving women's lives and preventing the birth of children with severe malformations as I have written about before (and as far back as 2012). The Pope's comments about women and abortion quickly turned the visit sour, prompting Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (who met the Pope during his visit) to summon the papal nuncio to express his discontent, insisting that the Church should focus on addressing the abuse scandals rather than condemning abortion. And abortion is important as its ban has already resulted in hundreds more of infant deaths a month than expected, with a 10% increase in deaths of children born with congenital anomalies. What about the numbers of deaths in women as they too are denied medically necessary abortion?

Will the Pope's visit bring people back to the Roman Catholic Church as he might have hoped? Possibly, but it seems unlikely. While some moderates may stay, others might find the Pope's response insufficient. Those who have already distanced themselves from the Church are unlikely to return unless something extraordinary occurs. Meanwhile, extremists who see this Pope as the "antichrist" infiltrating the Church—because of his comparatively lenient stance on LGBTQ issues and his initial efforts to moderate the Church's position on women—will continue to reject him. Although Pope Francis appears to be adopting a more conservative stance, perhaps due to his age or a desire to appease hardliners, his shift is not winning back the support of more progressive Catholics. Even Catholic universities, which increasingly prioritize academic excellence over strict adherence to traditional doctrines, appear to reject some of the Pope's more rigid positions.

Is the Roman Catholic Church still relevant when individuals who wish to do good can pursue careers as doctors, nurses, or teachers to directly improve society rather than adhere to centuries-old religious texts? Most people today can think for themselves and tend to reject religions that appear to foster hate rather than love. Thus, unless religions modernize and recognize the equality of all people, their teachings may lose their appeal. But will religious leaders accept the idea that ordinary people can teach them about morality? After all, the story goes that the fallen angels refused to bow for humans, even when God commanded it, and for this the angels were condemned as those angels wanted to rule over humans, and create their powerhouses so their own offspring would remain in power. Afterwards, these kingdoms couldn't stop fighting against each other for more power. Read our histories.

Note: A big "thank you" to ChatGTP for improving the readability of the text without compromising the content of the text. But, during rereading the text, I added a few additional clarifications.