ROME – Belgium's prime minister has protested Pope Francis' comments condemning abortion as murder, saying it amounts to interference in internal affairs.
During his recent visit to Belgium, the Pope was praised The late King Baudouin was praised for his courage in choosing to “temporarily leave his position as king in order to avoid signing the Murder Act,'' which legalized abortion in 1990.
At that time, Baudouin explained Regarding this decision, he told the Prime Minister: “I am concerned that this law will lead to a clear decline in respect for the lives of the most vulnerable among us.”
“Am I right that I am the only Belgian citizen forced to act against my conscience in such an important field?'' he asked. asked. “Is freedom of conscience sacred to everyone except the king?”
The Pope, along with the current King and Queen of Belgium, visited the Royal Ossuary under the Cathedral of Our Lady of Laeken and prayed at the tomb of King Baudouin, who reigned from 1951 until his death in 1993.
Francis urged Belgians to turn to Baudouin now that a criminal law is being enacted and vowed to further the cause of the late king's beatification.
“May his example as a man of faith enlighten the rulers,” he said.
Following the pope's comments, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said he would summon the Vatican ambassador to formally protest the pope's comments.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for a foreign head of state to make such statements about our democratic decision-making,” De Croo told a meeting of Belgium's lower house of parliament on Thursday.
“We don't need to learn how our parliamentarians democratically approve laws,” Decroux added. “Fortunately, the days when the church made the laws in our country are long gone.”
Jan Dunkaard, Rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, said on October 2nd: published article de standard The pope incited “hatred” against abortionists, saying his language “is an insult not only to doctors who perform abortions, but also to Belgium and its people.”
“It's actually unprecedented for a foreign head of state to assume the right to attack the laws of another country, even a democracy,” Dunkaard said.
Dunkaard pointed out that the pope returned to the topic of abortion during an in-flight press conference on the way back to Rome, in which he compared abortionists to “killers.”
“Let us not forget this: abortion is murder,” the pope said. journalist. “Science tells us that all the organs are present just one month after conception.”
“Man dies, man is killed,” he continued. “And the doctors who are participating in this – let me use this word – they are killers. They are killers. There is no dispute about that. Lives are being killed. It is.”
The Belgian parliament is currently considering a bill that would expand access to abortion from the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to the first 18 weeks.
