
The Belgian Royal Family attended Pope Francis’ Mass at King Baudouin Stadium on Sunday at the end of a challenging Papal trip. And as the service came to an end, the Pope announced he would begin the process of beatification for King Baudouin, the hugely popular monarch who reigned for over 40 years until his death in 1993.
King Baudouin’s nephew, King Philippe, was present to hear the declaration. At the start of the Papal trip, the current monarch had spoken about the need for more help and support for victims of church sex abuse.
Baudouin’s brother and successor, King Albert II, was also present at the Mass, as was his illegitimate daughter, Princess Delphine, who was greeted warmly by Queen Mathilde, her sister-in-law.
[getty src=”2174690979″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]The Belgian royal family turned out in force for the Mass. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were joined by two of their four children, Prince Gabriel and Princess Eleonore, as well as by King Albert and his wife, Queen Paola. Albert and Paola’s daughter, Princess Astrid, was present along with her husband, Prince Lorenz, while their younger son, Prince Laurent, attended with his wife, Princess Claire, and their three children, Princess Louise, Prince Nicolas, Prince Aymeric.
Princess Delphine sat alongside them with her husband, Mr. James O’Hare, and their two children, Princess Josephine and Prince Oscar.
Queen Mathilde wore a white Christian Dior skirt suit; she is one of few women in the world who has been granted the privilege of wearing white to meet the Pope.
Almost 40,000 Catholics gathered in Brussels for a Mass led by Pope Francis at the end of his trip to Belgium.
This has been a difficult trip for His Holiness, as the topic of sexual abuse in the church has been raised by many, including by King Philippe at a gathering on Friday.
[getty src=”2175434429″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]The Pope has come under criticism for comments made at an event celebrating Louvain Catholic University’s 600th anniversary where he stressed the traditional Catholic view of women as “fertile” and nurturers.
The university issued a statement following the event, ”we cannot agree on his position… we are fighting against discrimination for women, and we would like women to have another role in the society and in the church as well.”
However, it is King Baudouin’s stand on abortion that has led Pope Francis to make plans to beatify him. In 1991, Baudouin said he would rather abdicate than sign a law making abortion legal. Pope Francis, who visited Baudouin’s tomb in Laeken to pray during his visit to Belgium, praised the king for ”courage to temporarily abdicate”.