(27 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Laeken, Belgium – 27 September 2024
1. Belgian royal guard on horseback
2. Pope Francis being escorted in car
3. Vatican flag flying over Laeken Castle
4. Pope’s car following horses to entrance
5. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde greet Pope in wheelchair
6. Pope standing for photos with King and Queen
7. Wide of photo-op with King and Queen
8. Pope signing Book of Honors
9. Close of Pope writing
10. Mid of King and Queen watching as pope writes
11. Pope writing
12. Tilt down from chandelier to press
13. Pope seated chatting with King and Queen
14. Pope with King and Queen
15. Belgian flag flying over Laeken Castle
16. Tilt down of entrance to Castle
STORYLINE:
Pope Francis on Friday met with Belgium’s King and Queen on a visit shortly after his return from the historic tour of Southeast Asia, as the Vatican faced criticism from the European nation over it’s historic abuses and cover-ups.
Although the meeting in royal residence of the Laeken Castle was cordial and amicable, Belgium’s prime minister blasted Pope Francis for the Catholic Church’s horrific legacy of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups, demanding “concrete steps” to come clean with the past and put victims’ interests ahead those of the institution in a blistering welcome at the start of Francis’ visit on Friday.
The speech by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo was one of the most pointed ever directed at the pope during a foreign trip, where the genteel dictates of diplomatic protocol usually keeps outrage out of the public speeches.
But even King Philippe had strong words for Francis, demanding the church work “incessantly” to atone for the crimes and help victims heal.
Their tone underscored just how raw the abuse scandal still is in Belgium, where two decades of revelations of abuse and systematic cover-ups have devastated the hierarchy’s credibility and contributed to an overall decline in Catholicism and the influence of the once-powerful Catholic Church.
Francis applauded at the end of De Croo’s speech and was expected to meet with victims in private later Friday.
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