Pope Francis also doubled down on his traditional views on abortion and praised Catholic abuse victims for their conduct.

Pope Francis addressed the Belgian victims of clerical sexual abuse again on Saturday, offering words of contrition in a speech at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg. "Abuse generates atrocious suffering and wounds,

Pope Francis was sharply criticised on Saturday by one of Belgium's Catholic universities over his stance on the role of women in society, in a strongly worded press release issued just moments after the pontiff spoke at the college.

A snippet from some impromptu remarks caused a stir, but the pope’s point was that all religions are ways of communicating with God, not that they are all “the same.”

Pope Francis has wrapped up a weekend trip to Belgium by praising victims and demanding that sexually abusive clergy be judged, after facing strong criticism that the Catholic Church was failing to face up to the problem.

Pope Francis was pressed firmly by Belgium's king and premier on Friday for more concrete action to address sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, an issue once more in the spotlight as he visits. Both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo raised the issue in public in unusually forceful language for a papal foreign trip,

In his homily during Mass Sept. 29 in Brussels, Pope Francis strayed from his prepared text to urge bishops to hide nothing, “condemn abuses” and assist perpetrators in getting help.

In his first general audience since returning from the longest international trip of his pontificate, the pope expressed gratitude to God for his experiences.

Aboard the papal plane to Rome on Sunday, Pope Francis responded to criticism of remarks he made about women during a Sept. 28 visit to a Catholic university in Louvain, Belgium, saying it is an “obtuse mind” that intentionally misunderstands his position.

In a meeting with Belgian dignitaries on Friday, both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for more concrete action to help survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy. And in later events at two Catholic universities,

The king of Belgium and its prime minister ripped into the institution Pope Francis heads for covering up abuse and for the Catholic Church's views on women and the LGBTQ+ community.