by Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich
Less than two weeks after his historic trip to Asia and Oceania, Pope Francis recently traveled to Luxembourg and Belgium on his 46th Apostolic Journey.
Arriving in Luxembourg on Sept. 26, the Holy Father was warmly greeted by Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, and a crowd of government dignitaries and faithful Catholics. He then met privately with the entire Grand Ducal Family, including its youngest member, Prince François, at the Grand Ducal Palace. After the private greeting, the Holy Father was joined by Prime Minster Luc Frieden.
Pope Francis also addressed authorities, members of civil society, and the diplomatic corps. In his remarks, he emphasized the motto of his visit to Luxembourg, “To serve,” and said the nation is historically positioned to help maintain peace.
The Holy Father then traveled to Luxembourg’s Notre-Dame Cathedral where he was greeted by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the Archbishop of Luxembourg and leading organizer of the Synod on Synodality.
Speaking with members of the nation’s Catholic community, Pope Francis urged the faithful to remain open to helping others in and out of times of crisis,
“Yes, the spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of welcoming, of openness to everyone; it does not admit any kind of exclusion…I encourage you, therefore, to be faithful to your legacy, to the riches that you have, and to continue to make your country a friendly home for those who knock at your door seeking help and hospitality,” he said.
That evening, Pope Francis departed Luxembourg, and arrived in Brussels, Belgium, a nation with approximately 12 million Catholics.
On Sep. 27, with the motto, “Forward with Hope,” Pope Francis began his first full day in Belgium with a visit to King Philippe and Queen Mathilde at the Castle of Laeken. He then met with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo before addressing authorities and members of civil society.
Echoing his message to civil servants in Luxembourg, Pope Francis called Belgium “a bridge” between cultural and linguistic differences in Europe and a place which can promote dialogue and dispel dispute.
“Belgium is a bridge that promotes trade, connects and brings cultures into dialogue. An indispensable bridge, then, for rejecting war and building peace,” Pope Francis said.
The Holy Father later addressed professors at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, a Catholic research university, to commemorate the institution’s 600th anniversary. He urged professors there to look beyond “mere matter” and guard against “intellectual weariness or a soulless rationalism” and instead seek truth. Pope Francis urged professors to welcome questions and seek to educate people and promote a “culture capable of facing today’s challenges.”
On Sept. 28, Pope Francis first made an unannounced stop at Saint Gilles parish in Brussels to meet with members and many homeless people who seek shelter there. Offering praise for the clergy and comfort to those in need of aid, Pope Francis said, “it will do us good to give ourselves to each other like this, in our smallness, in our poverty, without pretensions and with so much love.”
Later, Pope Francis addressed bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers in the Koekelberg National Basilica of the Sacred Heart, where he encouraged clergy to look to the Gospel for guidance in times of turmoil.
Following his address, the Holy Father went to the university town Louvain-la-Neuve to speak with students and mark the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Université Catholique de Louvain. Speaking with students at the university, the Holy Father urged students to pursue truth through critical thinking over status or potential wealth.
On Sept. 29, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in King Baudouin Stadium before returning to the Vatican. With approximately 30,000 of the faithful in attendance, the Holy Father said church and government leaders must uproot scandal and punish those responsible if Belgium is to promote a peaceful, stable future.
Pope Francis’s apostolic journey to Luxembourg and Brussels highlighted the importance of charity, dialogue, justice, and truth in addressing challenges in Europe and around the world.
For more commentary from Callista Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com.
