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!"
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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
