San Francisco Frontiers - Pope to meet sexual abuse victims in Belgium visit

The 87-year-old pontiff arrived in Belgium Thursday evening after spending the day in neighbouring Luxembourg, where he made a plea for international diplomacy amid flaring conflicts across the globe.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will host the pope Friday at their royal residence, before he meets with academics at the Catholic university of Leuven in Dutch-speaking Flanders -- whose 600th anniversary next year was the official reason for Francis's visit.

But the heart of the Argentine pontiff's 46th trip abroad will arguably be his acknowledgement of priest paedophilia in a country tarred by decades of scandals and cover-ups.

At 6:30 pm (1630 GMT) he will receive 15 victims of clerical sexual assault at the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Brussels, a source close to the case told AFP.

- Fresh controversy -

The meeting, arranged by the country's bishops' conference after a hard-hitting documentary last year put the scandal back on the front pages, will be held with the "utmost discretion", according to the Belgian church.

The case stems from the confessions of a disgraced bishop 14 years ago, which prompted thousands of victims to come forward.

Some of the testimony in last year's documentary revealed secrets buried for decades, denouncing Church efforts to protect aggressors and difficulties in getting justice.

In an open letter published by Le Soir newspaper this month, they demanded the pope address paedophilia and set up a process for financial reparations.

Francis has made combating sexual assault in the Church one of the main missions of his papacy, and insisted on a "zero tolerance" policy in the wake of wide-reaching abuse scandals around the world.

In a sign of the work yet to be done, the program of an open-air mass concluding Francis's trip on Sunday had to be changed at the last minute after it emerged that the closing hymn was composed by a priest accused of sexual abuse.

The blunder prompted the head of the Belgian bishops' conference, Archbishop Luc Terlinden, to admit that the church needed to get better at keeping a tab on cases and perpetrators.

"This represents a great challenge for us, but we must think about it seriously with the help of lawyers and psychologists," he told a local broadcaster. The composer, who died this month, reportedly settled a sexual abuse case in 2002.

- 'On the wane' -

On Saturday, Francis will meet the clergy at the vast Basilica of the Sacred Heart before holding discussions with students at Louvain-la-Neuve in French-speaking Wallonia, notably on climate issues.

The last papal visit to Brussels was in 1995, when John Paul II attended the beatification of Saint Damien, who dedicated his life to lepers.

Nearly 65 percent of Belgium's population is Christian, including 58 percent who are Catholic, according to figures from Louvain university.

But their numbers are on the wane, reflecting a decline across Europe.

During his weekly general audience on Wednesday, Francis said he hoped his visit could be "the opportunity for a new impetus of faith".

K.Gray--SFF