Originally published at National Catholic Register
The Vatican this month officially opened the beatification process of King Baudouin of Belgium, remembered as the humble leader willing to abdicate his throne rather than approve the decriminalization of abortion in his country.
“The Holy Father Francis, during his recent apostolic journey to Belgium, announced the opening of the cause of beatification and canonization of Baudouin, king of the Belgians,” said a Dec. 21 statement released by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
The dicastery established a historical commission Dec. 17, composed of experts “in archival research and in the history of Belgium,” tasked with collecting and evaluating documentation regarding the life and virtues of the late king.
Baudouin, who witnessed a Belgium transformed by periods of social upheaval and growing secularism, was publicly recognized as a devout Catholic committed to both the Church and his country throughout his more than 40 years on the throne from 1951–1993.
Up until his death in July 1993 at the age of 63, Baudouin had reigned continuously for 42 years except for 36 hours in April 1990, when he refused to sign a law decriminalizing abortion in Belgium and was subsequently deposed from the throne with his consent.
However, due to
