Pope’s visit to Belgium will ‘energise’ Catholic community

By Joseph Tulloch – Brussels

Pope Francis has landed in Belgium, beginning a brief but action-packed visit to the country.

During his stay, he will meet the king and the prime minister, the local clergy, as well as students and professors from Leuven and Leuven, the country’s two prestigious Catholic universities.

Fr Walter Ceyssens, SJ, a Jesuit living in Leuven, works closely with students attending the university. He spoke to Vatican News about his hopes and expectations for the Pope’s visit.

Facing the past

Reflecting on the atmosphere in Belgium before the Pope’s arrival, Father Ceyssens noted that the “wave” of child sex abuse scandals in the country in recent years had undermined the credibility of the Church. .

“We have had difficulties,” he stressed, “and we must not deny it or look away.”

The Belgian Jesuit added that this is precisely why he was excited about the papal visit – it would be an opportunity for the Church to show that it had “learned something from the current situation” about importance of responsibility.

“As a member of the Church,” he said, “I find this very inspiring. It’s been a long time since I had such a good impression of the place of the Church in our society.”

Father Walter Ceyssens, SJ

Hope comes true

One of the ways in which the Church in Belgium hopes to harness the positive energy of the Pope’s visit is to Hope comes truethe official youth event of the papal trip, which Father Ceyssens helps to organize.

It will take place on Saturday 28 In September, at the Brussels Expo, a stone’s throw from the King Baudouin Stadium where, the next day, Pope Francis will celebrate mass in front of around 35,000 people.

“There will be a walk in the morning,” says the father. Ceyssens said: “and a ‘City of Hope,’ with booths from movements and organizations within the Catholic Church, and there will be music.” The next morning, the participants will go together to the stadium for mass with the Pope.

Faith and reason

The Belgian Jesuit also spoke of the importance of the Pope’s visit to the Catholic University of Louvain.

This would, he said, be an opportunity to underline the importance of the “intellectual voice of the Church in society”.

“The Church has a great intellectual tradition,” he said. “Faith inspires research and reflection, and I think that is a very important positive message that the Pope can bring to us.”