Pope Francis touched down at Melsbroek Military Airport in Flemish Brabant on Thursday evening. The Head of the Roman Catholic Church is in Belgium for a 4-day visit that includes visits to the universities in Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve and a Mass to be held at the King Boudewijn Stadium in Brussels on Sunday.
The Pope’s plane touched down at around 7.10pm on Thursday. Due to a downpour of torrential rain, the Pope was obliged to wait inside the plane for several minutes before alighting. Once he came outside, he was greeted by King Filip and Queen Mathilde.
The King, in his capacity as Head of the Armed Forces, first greeted the troops on the tarmac of the military airport. This was accompanied by a rendition of Belgium’s national anthem The Brabançonne. The King was then joined by Queen Mathilde.
The red carpet had been rolled out right up to the entrance of the papal plane. After many long minutes of waiting the Pontiff emerged from the plane with a smile on his face. He was welcomed by the King and Queen, the outgoing federal Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal), the outgoing Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (Francophone liberal), the Belgian bishops, the Vice-Chancellors of KU Leuven and UCLouvain and other church and civil leaders.
The Vatican anthem was also played to welcome Pope Francis.
After his welcome at the airport, the head of the Catholic Church headed for the Apostolic Nunciature (the diplomatic mission of Vactican State) in the Brussels municipality of Sint-Pieters-Woluwe.