Pope promises victims of sexual abuse by Belgian clergy “all the help we can”.

Pope Francis has vowed to “offer all possible help” to victims of clergy sexual abuse after people in Belgium told him first-hand about the trauma that shattered their lives and left many in poverty and mental misery.

Francis’ visit to Belgium was dominated by the abuse scandal. King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo both condemned the Catholic Church’s horrific legacy of raping priests and molesting children, as well as its decades-long cover-up of the crimes.

Francis met for more than two hours on Friday with 17 survivors who are demanding the church compensate them for the trauma they suffered and fund the therapy many people need. They said they had given Francis a month to consider their demands.

“There are so many victims. There are also so many victims who are still completely broke,” survivor Koen Van Sumere told The Associated Press. “I was also lucky enough to get a diploma and build a life for myself. But there are so many people who are completely broke and need help and who can’t afford it and who really need help right now.”

Mr Van Sumere said he was encouraged by the “positive” meeting with the pope but was waiting to see what comes of it.

On Saturday, at a meeting with Belgian clergy and nuns at the Koekelberg Basilica, Francis acknowledged that abuse had caused “cruel suffering and wounds” and undermined the faith.

“We need a lot of mercy so that we do not harden our hearts in the face of the suffering of the victims, so that we can help them, feel our closeness and offer them all the help we can,” he said.

“We must learn from them…to be a church that serves all without demeaning anyone.” In fact, one of the roots of violence lies in the abuse of power, when we use the positions we have to oppress or manipulate others. “

Francis began the day with breakfast – coffee and croissants – with a group of 10 homeless and migrant people cared for by the St. Gilles parish in Brussels.

They sat around a table at the entrance to the parish church and told him their stories and gave him bottles of beer the parish produces called “La Biche Saint Gilles.” Proceeds from beer sales help fund the community’s charities.

Francis thanked them for the beer and breakfast and told them that the true wealth of the Church lies in caring for the most vulnerable.

“If we really want to know and show the beauty of the Church, we should give to one another in this way, in our smallness, in our poverty, without pretense and with much love.”

The breakfast meeting was chaired by Marie-Francoise Boveroulle, an assistant episcopal vicar of the diocese. The position is normally held by a priest, but Ms Boveroulle’s appointment was highlighted as evidence of the role women can and should play in the church.