Belgium's King Philippe levelled direct criticism at the pontiff, saying it had "taken far too long for the cries to be heard and acknowledged".

Pope Francis was pressed firmly by Belgium's king and premier on Friday for more concrete action to address sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, an issue once more in the spotlight as he visits. Both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo raised the issue in public in unusually forceful language for a papal foreign trip,

In Belgium’s Laeken Castle, Pope Francis confronted the Catholic Church’s long-standing clerical-abuse crisis in the country, declaring unequivocally that “the Church should be ashamed” and must seek forgiveness for its failures.