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Home Belgium

PHOTOS: Pope Francis meets king and queen of Belgium at Laeken Castle

September 28, 2024
in Belgium
PHOTOS: Pope Francis meets king and queen of Belgium at Laeken Castle
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Rome Newsroom, Sep 27, 2024 / 10:55 am

Pope Francis visited Laeken Castle on Friday, where he met with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians.

King Philippe ascended the Belgian throne in 2013 and holds the title “Rex Catholicissimus,” or “(Most) Catholic Majesty.”

A mounted guard of honor accompanies Pope Francis as he arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he was greeted by the Belgian royal family. Credit: Vatican MediaA mounted guard of honor accompanies Pope Francis as he arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he was greeted by the Belgian royal family. Credit: Vatican Media

Queen Mathilde, as a Catholic queen, has the “privilège du blanc,” meaning she is one of only a few women in the world who can wear white, rather than the customary black, when meeting the pope for an official private audience at the Vatican. 

The papal privilege is currently granted only to the Catholic royalty from Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Monaco, as well as the House of Savoy.

Pope Francis meets with with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians inside Laeken Castle on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAPope Francis meets with with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians inside Laeken Castle on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

On his first full day in Belgium on Sept. 27, Pope Francis celebrated a morning Mass in private before making his way to the castle.

A mounted guard of honor accompanied him to the main palace entrance, where he was greeted by the Belgian royal family. 

A mounted guard of honor accompanies Pope Francis as he arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he was greeted by the Belgian royal family. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAA mounted guard of honor accompanies Pope Francis as he arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he was greeted by the Belgian royal family. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

The meeting included an exchange of gifts and an opportunity for the pope to sign the Book of Honor, symbolic gestures that reinforce the ties between the Vatican and the Belgian monarchy. 

“I am grateful to visit Belgium, a sign and bridge of peace, where different languages, cultures, and peoples live in mutual respect. May God bless Belgium!” the pope wrote in the castle’s Book of Honor.

Pope Francis, sitting between Queen Mathilde and King Philippe of the Belgians, signs the Book of Honor at Laeken Castle on Sept. 27, 2024, during his trip to the country. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN/Vatican PoolPope Francis, sitting between Queen Mathilde and King Philippe of the Belgians, signs the Book of Honor at Laeken Castle on Sept. 27, 2024, during his trip to the country. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN/Vatican Pool

Nearly 50% of Belgians identify as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center. The members of the Belgian Royal Family are Catholic but do not have an official role within the Catholic Church in the country.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were married in 1999 in Belgium’s 11th-century Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels and have four children. Their eldest daughter, Princess Elisabeth, is first in the line of succession.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium listens as Pope Francis addresses 300 dignitaries and political authorities in Laeken Castle’s Grand Gallery on Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAQueen Mathilde of Belgium listens as Pope Francis addresses 300 dignitaries and political authorities in Laeken Castle’s Grand Gallery on Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

After the formal reception, the pope met privately with the King and Queen before moving to the castle’s Grand Gallery, where he addressed 300 dignitaries and political authorities, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

(Story continues below)

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Pope Francis addresses 300 dignitaries and political authorities, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, in Laeken Castle’s Grand Gallery on Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAPope Francis addresses 300 dignitaries and political authorities, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, in Laeken Castle’s Grand Gallery on Sept. 27, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

In the speech, the pope lamented the country’s clerical abuse crisis and advocated for peace.

“There are two calamities at the moment,” Pope Francis said. “The hell of war … which could turn into a world war and a demographic winter. This is why we must be practical. Have children! Have children!”

📹 HIGHLIGHTS | Pope Francis began his visit to Belgium at Laeken Castle, welcomed by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. Addressing 300 dignitaries, including PM De Croo, he expressed concerns over the clerical abuse crisis and advocated for peace. Later, he traveled to Leuven to… pic.twitter.com/ERFROCzzS3

— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) September 27, 2024

Courtney Mares

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees. She is the author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers” (Ignatius, 2023), https://ignatius.com/carlo-acutis-sscap/.

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Publish date : 2024-09-27 07:58:00

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