Francis was urged in Belgium by both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to do more to help abuse survivors in unusually forceful language for a papal foreign trip, always a carefully choreographed event.

The three-day “apostolic journey” of Pope Francis to Belgium has largely been an occasion for Belgian advocates to call on the Catholic Church to better address clergy sexual abuse, to reconsider its view of women,

Pope Francis has doubled down on his traditional views on abortion and women during his in-flight news conference coming home from Belgium.