Reactions have been coming in from across the globe to the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday morning. In Belgium too politicians, clergy and others have been expressing their respect for the late Pontiff’s work during his time as head of the Roman Catholic church.
Belgian royal couple, politicians and others react to Pope Francis' death
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The Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist) has responded to the news of Pope Francis’ death with a post in Latin on the social media platform X.
With “Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei”,’Mr De Wever quotes the opening line of the “requiem”, the set Latin mass for the departed. ‘Give them eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them,’ reads opening line reads. However, the Belgian PM modified this slightly, using "him" twice rather than “them”.
In a post on the social media platform X The Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot (Francophone centrist, photo below) said that “We have learned of the death of Pope Francis. I respectfully salute the work of this head of state and religious leader, who, for Christian communities and beyond, embodied a broad hope for modernity and inspired their way of life. Last year, he made one of his last trips, to Belgium. Despite the differences that may have remained, depending on each person's sensibilities, we should recognise that Pope Francis was a reformer of Church governance, constantly concerned with issues of social and climate justice, an inspiring pastor for many, and constantly at the side of the weakest. We should also remember that he was right to call on us to cherish the ideals of peace on which Europe is founded, and the hope it inspires”.
Belgian Royal Family: “He was a great man”
In September 2024, King Filip and Queen Mathilde met the Pope during his visit to Belgium. Pope Francis was a guest at Laken Castle and they also made a private visit together to the royal crypt.
In a statement published on the social media platform X The King and Queen of the Belgians wrote that "We share the grief of all Catholics around the world and of everyone who loved and appreciated him, and we are grateful for the honour he has shown us by visiting our country".
Our royal family has good ties with the Vatican. It is widely known that our King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are deeply religious.
Bishop Luc Van Looy; "Pope Francis brought renewal and change to the heart of Rome”
The former Bishop of Ghent Luc Van Looy (photo below) told VRT Radio 1’s current affairs programme ‘De ochtend’ that the Pope’s death was “expected, yet unexpected”.
"Yesterday I saw him during the Easter celebrations, and I thought, “this is not good”. He had been speaking with weak voice for a while. He did the ‘urbi et orbi’, and that requires a lot of attention and effort and then now this”.
Bishop Van Looy knew the Pope well and met him on several occasions. He believes that Pope Francis’ great merit is that he brought much renewal and change. "Not enough for some people perhaps, but he has worked very hard to renew the church, to renew the structures. In the heart of Rome, he brought a lot of change in circumstances that were not always easy”.
Bishop Van Looy cites the example that the heads of the offices of the various ministries in the Vatican no longer have to be Cardinals. Furthermore, “There are now three ministries where a woman is in charge. These are not things that are easy to achieve within the culture of the church that has always been a man’s church. The position of women was something he strongly emphasised. But this was not easy with others around him that had other thoughts on this”.
Abuse victim that met Pope: “This is not good news for us”
Koen Van Summeren is one of the victims of sexual abuse by clergy that met Pope Francis during his visit to Belgium last year. He says that the Pontiff’s death is "not good news” the Belgian abus victims.
Following last September’s meeting, the victims were to have met Pope Francis for a second time this September. This was to have served as a means of putting pressure on the Belgian bishops to take action.
Mr Van Summeren told VRT Radio in De Ochtend.’s Current affairs programme ‘De ochtend’ that he has fond memories of the meeting with Pope Francis. "He was a very kind man and was very sober. He just sat among us. He was a world leader who came across as very human. That was a change in style from before and we hope it will continue. We are holding our hearts a little bit waiting to see who will be the next Pope."