“The Pope’s visit to Belgium is an opportunity to showcase the Church in our country”. The Belgian Church’s information website, CathoBel, dedicates a report to the situation of the Catholic community in the country that is awaiting Pope Francis’ visit in the middle of the week. A ten-minute video addresses problems such as the tragedy of sexual abuse, the secularisation that has heavily affected participation in masses and pastoral activities, and the decline in vocations… For these reasons too, “the Church’s image is regularly tarnished by the media. Yet Catholics in Belgium are still numerous and very committed”, CathoBel explains. Since 2010, the Church in Belgium has been regularly associated with the tragedy of child abuse. At the same time, comparisons are made with the past, so the Church “is perceived as a declining institution”.

“I think it is a mistake, we have to see it for what it is today”, Vincent Delcorps, editor-in-chief of CathoBel, said in the report. “And it is clear that you can still find living and dynamic communities in many places”. “They are present in the world of education, chaplaincies, abbeys, spirituality centres; they show commitment to ecological issues, against inequalities… This report highlights the diverse areas where Catholics are involved”. The report puts a special focus on the importance of responsibilities entrusted to the laity and to women in particular. Rebecca Alsberge (pictured), Episcopal Delegate of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels in charge of the Vicariate of Walloon Brabant, said: “Generally speaking, I think that women are well represented in the Belgian Church”.