Pope meets group of refugees and pays tribute to late Belgian King Baudouin

By Vatican News

As he left the Apostolic Nunciature of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre in Brussels on Saturday morning to meet Belgian clergy and religious at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koelkelberg, Pope Francis briefly greeted a group of officials from the European Union.

The group included the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margarítis Schinás, the Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica, the representative of the World Health Organization to the European Union, Oxana Domenti, and WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge.

He then stopped to greet the crowd gathered around the Nunciature to meet him, and in particular the children and young people.

Pope Francis greets EU officials at the Apostolic Nunciature

Breakfast with refugees at the church of Saint-Gilles

Before heading to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koelkelberg, Pope Francis took time to have breakfast with a group of poor people and refugees at the local Church of Saint-Gilles, which assists them.

A Togolese refugee, named Chris, recounted his journey across the Mediterranean to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa and sang a song to Mary in his worst moments of fear during the perilous journey.

The Pope was welcomed with a bottle of Biche Saint Gille, a beer produced by the parish to help finance its charitable works.

After a brief speech, the Pope presented the parish with a statue of the martyr Saint Lawrence, which bore the inscription: “I am happy to see how much love fuels communion and creativity here. You even produce beer! I imagine that’s very good. I’ll tell you this afternoon.

Pope Francis prays at the tomb of King Baudouin

“King Baudouin was a courageous king”

After his meeting with the country’s bishops, priests, religious and pastoral agents, Pope Francis visited the royal crypt located under the Notre-Dame basilica of Laeken with the King and Queen of Belgium and stopped to pray in front of the tomb of King Baudouin, who reigned from 1951 until his death in 1993.

Addressing King Philip and those present, the pope praised the late king’s courage for choosing to “temporarily leave his position as king to avoid signing a deadly law,” which legalized abortion in 1990.

Pope Francis urged Belgians to turn to him as penal laws are enacted and expressed hope that the cause for beatification of King Baudouin will move forward, according to the Holy See Press Office.