Pope Francis implored bishops not to cover up the sexual abuse of children, during an open-air mass on Sunday that capped a three-day visit to Belgium, which is still struggling with the legacy of past scandals.
Gathered in bright morning sunshine, about 40,000 faithful, some waving Belgian and Vatican flags, packed the King Baudouin stadium north of the capital to hear the 87-year-old pontiff.
“There is no place for abuse, there is no place for covering up abuse,” Francis said during a homily.
“I ask everyone not to cover up abuse, I ask the bishops not to cover up abuse, to condemn the abusers and help them heal themselves of this disease of abuse.”
During his stay, the pontiff was pressed by Belgian authorities and victims’ advocates on the Catholic Church’s handling of child sexual abuse, which was put back on the front pages by a hard-hitting documentary last year.
The Belgian documentary prompted around 200 more people to come forward with allegations that they were abused by members of the Church, adding to around 1,000 cases reported before then.
On Friday, Francis met with 17 victims. “I felt their suffering,” he told the Sunday mass.
“Evil must not be hidden, evil must be brought out into the open, let it be known,” he added, calling for all perpetrators to be judged.
The programme of Sunday’s mass had to be changed at the last minute after it emerged that the closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual abuse.
The blunder prompted the head of the Belgian bishops’ conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the Church needed to better monitor cases and perpetrators.
While the question of abuse cast a shadow throughout his stay, the Argentine pontiff was given a rapturous welcome at Sunday’s mass, where young people and families cheered as he toured the venue in his Popemobile.
“He transmits all kinds of values,” Olivier Caillet, 44, from Brussels, said of the pope, praising his welcoming stance on migration.
“He’s a bit like the pope of surprises, he’s with the underprivileged… he’s opening up new possibilities, trying to change people’s consciences so that we don’t close borders like barriers.”
Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were also in attendance at the mass, which Francis used to appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and the wider Middle East.
“I call on all parties to immediately cease fire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine and Israel,” the pontiff said, as Israel continued to target the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon.
On the flight back to Rome, he slams the “immoral” use of force in the region.
“Defence must always be proportional to the attack. When this is not the case, a dominating tendency appears that goes beyond morality,” he told reporters travelling with him when asked about the effects of Israel strikes on civilians.
“Even in war there is a morality to defend. War is immoral, but the rules of war indicate a form of morality.”
Francis’s visit, the first by a pope to Belgium since John Paul II in 1995, also highlighted the growing disconnect between the Vatican and some faithful in progressive, secular countries over issues such as gender inequality.
On Saturday, he was challenged during a frank exchange with students about the place of women in the Church — after paying tribute to a former sovereign who took a public stance against abortion.
His response, describing women as daughters, sisters and mothers upset some, with the Catholic university hosting the meeting later expressing its “incomprehension and disapproval” at the reductive view.
“I don’t understand why women can’t become priests. It’s something that was established because it was rooted in society at the time, but now we’ve moved on,” Alice Vanwijnsberghe, an 18-year-old student, told AFP after attending a festival with 6,000 young Catholics.
During his traditional press conference on board the plane flying him back to Rome, the pontiff saluted former Belgian monarch King Baudouin’s bravery for opposing a law in favour of abortion in 1990.
“The king was courageous because faced with this murderous law, he did not sign, and he resigned,” the pope said. “That takes courage.”
The First Lady Remi Tinubu has refuted claims that she is organising a national prayer over the country’s economic challenges.
Claims were making the rounds on several platforms that the First Lady in conjunction with others was planning a prayer session for the country.
But Busola Kukoyi, the spokesperson to the First Lady, has described the claims as not only misleading but also unfounded.
“This is to clarify and inform the general public that the First Lady of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON is not organizing a National Prayer,” she said in a Saturday statement.
“The news making rounds in some conventional and social media platforms is unfounded and misleading. Consequently, anyone who might have come across the purported news of the joint National Prayer for Nigeria should disregard it as false.”
Warning people to verify the authenticity of news about her principal, Busola, however, said the First Lady understands the importance of praying for the country.
“Whilst the First Lady, a Christian and strong advocate of prayer and praying for Nigeria believes that prayer is an act that must be done willingly, conscientiously and correctly. She also believes that praying for Nigeria is the responsibility of every Nigerian, irrespective of religious belief, political affiliation, tribe or tongue,” the media aide added.
“Members of the public are advised to verify the authenticity of any news or event involving the First Lady of Nigeria or her Office through Official channels. Kindly be advised accordingly.”
Britain’s royal family is facing calls for more transparency and reform of their private estates after an investigation alleged they have been profiting from public bodies while benefiting from major tax exemptions.
The UK media probe also accused the estates of King Charles III and his eldest son Prince William of making big profits from charities and individual renters while in some cases failing to meet environmental standards.
The centuries-old estates — the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall — have made millions of pounds (dollars) from lucrative deals with the publicly-funded National Health Service (NHS) and other cash-strapped ministries, according to the investigation.
Both estates — portfolios of land, property and assets across England and Wales held in trust for the king and his heir — are exempt from paying UK corporation or capital gains taxes.
The extent of their holdings and commercial deals, such as lease agreements, is not publicly disclosed.
But the probe by UK television network Channel 4’s Dispatches programme and The Sunday Times claims to have uncovered them for the first time.
It has prompted calls for a review by parliament as well as demands by pro-republicans for the duchies to be abolished.
Norman Baker, a former lawmaker from the centrist Liberal Democrats party and longtime royal critic, told AFP the findings confirmed his view that the royals were “taking the public for a ride”.
“These are Crown lands which belong to the public… all that money should be going into the Crown Estate, which is a public asset,” he said.
– ‘Pursuing profit’ –
The royals have long maintained that profits from the duchies fund their public, charitable and private activities.
The duchies, owned by the monarchy since the Middle Ages, were not part of a 1760 agreement which sees the monarch’s Crown Estate profits surrendered to the government.
Fifteen percent of those profits are returned as a Sovereign Grant, which pays for official engagements, staff salaries and the royal palaces’ upkeep.
Next year the grant will total £132 million ($171 million).
Baker notes the vast private estates were not included in that arrangement because at the time they did not generate much income.
But two centuries on, their assets are worth £1.8 billion, with profits topping £50 million in 2023, according to their annual reports.
It has helped keep Charles on The Sunday Times Rich List, which ranks the 1,000 wealthiest people or families in the UK, with an estimated worth of £610 million.
Lucrative deals leasing land to the crisis-hit NHS, armed forces, publicly-funded schools, charities and renters have boosted his bottom line, according to the media probe.
In one example, Charles’ estate will earn nearly £12 million over 15 years storing a new fleet of electric ambulances owned by a London hospital in one of its warehouses.
In another, William’s estate will net £37.5 million over 25 years from the Ministry of Justice for leasing the currently empty Dartmoor Prison.
Graham Smith, head of anti-monarchy pressure group Republic, said the investigation “shows how the duchies are doggedly pursuing profit at every turn, at huge expense to the public and charities”.
The duchies have denied any wrongdoing.
– ‘Within the law’ –
It is not the first time that they have stoked controversy.
In 2006, an influential parliamentary committee pressured the government over why they benefit from major tax exemptions.
Baker said the Public Accounts Committee should refocus on it.
“It’s only under pressure like that that they’ll change,” he added.
“Unless they’re forced into doing something, they won’t do it.”
The former MP believes the royals are “in danger of losing public support big time” over the issue.
But David Haigh, head of consultancy firm Brand Finance, argued the duchies are operating like “any large aristocratic family estate”.
“Is it really unreasonable for them to expect market rate rents when they rent properties to government agents and departments? In my opinion it’s not.”
Haigh added the estates were “simply acting within the law in the best interests of their private capital,” comparing them to successful entrepreneurs like James Dyson and Richard Branson.
President Bola Tinubu will leave Nigeria on Sunday to attend the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Saudi Arabia.
The event will begin in Riyadh on Monday with a focus on the situation in the Middle East. Tinubu’s attendance is at the invitation of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Sunday for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit, which will focus on the current situation in the Middle East,” presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement on Saturday.
“The Summit will commence on Monday, November 11, 2024. It is being held at the invitation of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and follows last year’s summit in the same Saudi city.
“During the summit, President Tinubu is expected to address the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict, emphasising Nigeria’s strong call for an immediate ceasefire and the urgent need for a peaceful resolution.”
At the event, Nigeria will be advocating renewed efforts to “revive the two-state solution as a pathway to lasting peace in the region,” Onanuga said.
Tinubu will not be traveling alone. Other government officials like the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed, will be part of his entourage to Saudi Arabia.
“After the conclusion of the summit, President Tinubu will return to Abuja,” the presidential spokesman said.