The mayor of the Flemish Brabantine town of Tremelo Bert De Wit is going to ask Pope Francis to stop by his municipality when he visits Belgium next year. The municipality is responding to pressure from residents, who have been waiting for the pope, the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics, for three decades now. In 1995 the then pope, Pope John-Paul II, was scheduled to swing by but had to cancel his tour at the last minute after breaking his femur when he slipped in the papal bath.
30 years after cancelled papal visit, Tremelo asks Pope Francis to come after all
Colin Clapson
Published:
Great was the disappointment in Tremelo, when Pope John-Paul II cancelled. At the time, the pope was supposed to visit in connection with the beatification of Father Damien, the Flemish priest who cared for lepers in Hawaii. After extensive preparations to receive the pope, residents had been bitterly disappointed. The pope visited the following year, visiting Brussels but not Tremelo, Father Damien’s home town.
Disillusionment still runs deep among some residents, who have kept hopes of a papal visit alive since 1994. "When the news that the pope will visit Leuven next year was announced, residents here were quick to ask if he would finally also come to Tremelo," says Mayor Bert De Wit.
"I know the visit is important for the residents. We should certainly look into it, but I do consider it very unlikely that the pope will have time in his busy schedule," says the mayor. "Still, we will put the question, because, of course, it would be an honour should he visit the municipality after all."