Prime minister De Croo castigates pope's ‘unacceptable words’

Last Sunday, after a private visit to the crypt in Laken, where King Boudewijn, is among those buried, the pope made a number of statements that have more than raised eyebrows. On the plane back to Rome, after his eventful visit to Belgium, he called Belgium’s abortion legislation a ‘murderous law’ and doctors who perform abortions ‘contract killers’.

‘A foreign head of state making such a statement about the democratic decision-making process in our country is absolutely unacceptable,’ prime minister De Croo told parliament. ‘We have no lessons to learn about how our MPs democratically pass laws. Fortunately, the time when the church dictated the law in our country is long behind us.’

The prime minister called for respect for doctors who carry out their jobs with honour and in good conscience and within a legal framework, and for women, who should be able freely to take decisions about their bodies. ‘That is why I have invited the papal nuncio for a meeting,’ Mr De Croo said. ‘My message will be particularly clear: what happened is unacceptable.’

The prime minister also lashed out at the Roman Catholic church, which he said had not always proved quick to act when it came to sexual abuse by its clergy. ‘If there should be outrage about anything, it is towards those who, for example, allowed sexual harassment to take place, or towards those who failed to act when action should have been taken.’

This morning, both the Flemish Free University VUB and its hospital UZ Brussel called on the Belgian prime minister to hold the nuncio to account.