Originally published at National Catholic Register
A historically Catholic country, since the 1950s Belgium has seen a significant decline in the number of its practicing Christians.
More than 500 Belgians have demanded to be removed from the baptismal registry (“débaptisation”) in reaction to controversial statements by Pope Francis during his apostolic journey to Luxembourg and Belgium about abortion and the role of women in the Church.
After the Pope’s visit to both countries in late September, 524 people have signed a declaration published Oct. 16 in Brussels, according to local media.
In their open letter addressed to the apostolic nuncio in Brussels, Franco Coppola; Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels Luc Terlinden, the primate of the Catholic Church in Belgium; and the seven Catholic dioceses in the country, the signers condemned certain comments made by the Pope and called for themselves to be removed from the baptismal registry.
While in Belgium, Pope Francis described the partial decriminalization of voluntary abortion in Belgium as a “murderous law.” On the return flight from Brussels to Rome on Sept. 29, he also called doctors who perform abortions “contract killers.”
The Pope’s trip to Belgium marked the 600th anniversary of the Catholic University in Leuven. During his visit to the French-speaking branch
