Pope Francis, the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics, is visiting Belgium in 2024. He will travel to Belgium ahead of celebrations marking the 600th anniversary of the founding of Leuven University. The last papal visit dates from 1995, when Pope John Paul II beatified Father Damien. When exactly the pontiff will visit is not yet known.
Pope Francis mentioned that Belgium, along with Argentina and Polynesia, is one of the three countries he plans to visit next year during an interview with the Mexican television channel"Nmas".
The Roman Catholic University of Leuven celebrates its 600th anniversary years in 2025. To celebrate, Pope Francis is travelling to Belgium for a pastoral visit lasting one or two days, says Geert De Kerpel, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.
De Kerpel is pleased the pope has accepted the invitation to visit Belgium, "as the pope has severely cut back his pastoral trips due to his age".
According to De Kerpel, Pope Francis has a fondness for Belgium. "That has to do with his history as a young man in Argentina," De Kerpel explains. "He visited Belgium several times and here discovered people willing to support his pastoral project in Argentina."
John Paul II’s visit in 1995
The last time a pontiff visited Belgium was in 1995. Pope John Paul II travelled to Belgium for the beatification of Father Damien. He was supposed to come a year earlier, but the pope had to cancel that appointment because he had slipped in his bathtub and ended up in hospital.
That was much to the disappointment of Tremelo, Father Damien's home town, where they had prepared the pope's visit to perfection. In 1995, Pope John Paul II only visited Brussels and did not make it to Tremelo.