Pope Francis arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he is greeted by the Belgian royal family, Queen Mathilde and King Philippe. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNARome Newsroom, Sep 27, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).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 MediaQueen 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, Luxemb...
Pope Francis arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he is greeted by the Belgian royal family, Queen Mathilde and King Philippe. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Rome Newsroom, Sep 27, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).
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 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/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/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 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/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.
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/CNA
"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!"
Christian worshippers pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024. / Credit: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty ImagesCNA Newsroom, Oct 7, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).On the World Day of Prayer and Fasting held on the Oct. 7 feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Pope Francis addressed a letter to Catholics in the Middle East on the one-year anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel.In his letter, the Holy Father expressed his closeness with those "who dwell in the lands of which the Scriptures speak most often," suffering as a result of the ongoing conflict spreading throughout the region."As Christians, we must never tire of imploring peace from God. That is why, on this day, I have urged everyone to observe a day of prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting are the weapons of love that change history," reads the Holy Father's letter, released one day after he prayed a rosary for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome."In order to b...
Procession of the relics of St. Francis Xavier in Old Goa outside Se Cathedral on his feast day, Dec. 3, 2014. / Credit: Archdiocese of Goa and DamanCNA Staff, Oct 7, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).Police in the Indian state of Goa are on the hunt for a Hindu man who allegedly publicly disrespected St. Francis Xavier and disputed the saint's title as protector of the state, leading to complaints from the state's Christians, who deeply venerate St. Francis.Catholic news outlet UCA News reported that Subhash Velingkar, a former state-unit chief of the powerful Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, publicly questioned the authenticity of the relics of St. Francis Xavier housed in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.The relics are only exposed for veneration every 10 years. The next period of exposition and veneration is due to start on Nov. 21 and end on Jan. 5, 2025.Velingkar reportedly said at a public meeting on Oct. 1 that a "DNA test" should be conducted on the relics to prov...
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on Oct. 1, 2024, in New York City. / Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Oct 7, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).Since Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has faced challenges from Republicans, pro-life advocates, and the media to defend his extreme positions on abortion. As governor of Minnesota, Walz has signed several far-reaching abortion laws that have significantly expanded abortion in that state, including legislation that enshrines abortion without restrictions up to the point of birth in the state constitution.Nevertheless, Walz has skirted the issue and refused to say that he signed legislation that allows abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.What has Walz said?In the vice presidential debate with Sen. JD Vance this month, the moderator asked Walz...
Pope Francis arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he is greeted by the Belgian royal family, Queen Mathilde and King Philippe. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
