Pope wraps troubled Belgium visit by doubling down on abortion and women, praising abuse victims

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis wrapped up a troubled visit to Belgium on Sunday by doubling down on his traditional views on women and abortion and demanding that Catholic bishops stop covering up for predator priests — a scandal that has devastated the church’s credibility around the globe.

Francis revisited the key thorny topics of his trip to Belgium during his in-flight press conference coming home, praising Belgium's late King Baudouin as a “saint” for having abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than sign legislation legalizing abortion.

“You need a politician who wears pants to do this,” Francis said, using a Spanish expression. “You need courage,” he said, adding that Baudouin's beatification process was moving along.

Francis drew criticism from some in Belgium for having prayed at Baudouin's tomb and for calling the abortion law “homicidal,” given that abortion remains a political issue in Belgium, with new proposals to extend the legal limit on an abortion from 12 to 18 weeks.

“Doctors who do this are – allow me the word – hitmen. They are hitmen," Francis said. “And on this you cannot argue. You are killing a human life.”

It was the second time in as many weeks that Francis has been asked about his views on abortion during an in-flight press conference. Returning from Asia earlier this month and asked about the upcoming U.S. election, Francis said voters should chose the “lesser evil” when picking between a candidate who wants to deport migrants and one who supports abortion rights — a reference to Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Francis used his only Mass in Belgium to publicly demand that priests who abuse young people be punished, and that the church hierarchy stop covering up their crimes. He praised the courage of victims who came forward about their abuse in improvised remarks to a crowd of some 30,000 at Brussels’ King Baudouin stadium.

“Evil must not be hidden. Evil must be brought out into the open,” Francis said to repeated rounds of applause as the crowd took in what he was saying.

Francis deviated from his prepared homily Sunday to respond to the meeting he held with 17 abuse survivors on Friday night, where he heard first-hand of the trauma and suffering they endured and the tone-deaf response of the church when they reported the crimes.

Belgium has had a wretched legacy of abuse and cover-up, none more symbolic of the church's hypocrisy than the case of Bruges Bishop Roger Vangheluwe. He was allowed to quietly retire in 2010 after he admitted that he had sexually abused his nephew for 13 years.

Francis only defrocked him this year — 14 years later — in a move clearly seen as finally dealing with a problem before his arrival in Belgium.

The victims gave Francis a letter with several requests, including establishing a universal church system of reparations since many say the financial settlements they have received from the church don’t even cover the costs of therapy many require.

Francis praised the victims' courage and acknowledged that the settlements many have received in civil judgements — which he said he believed were capped at 50,000 euros — were not enough.

“We have the responsibility to help the abused and take care of them,” he said. "Some need psychological help: (We must) help them with this.”

Francis’ visit to Belgium was always going to be difficult, given the country’s history of clerical sexual abuse and overall secularizing trends which have emptied its majestic cathedrals and churches.

But it’s unclear if he or his entourage expected such sharp public expressions of outrage or the pointed calls for reform from Belgium's intellectual elite.

The main reason for the trip was to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Leuven/Louvain Catholic University, the oldest Catholic university in the world and long the Vatican’s academic fiefdom in Belgium.

But the rector of the Dutch-speaking campus told Francis that the abuse scandal had so harmed the church’s moral authority that it would do best to reform if it wants to regain credibility and relevance. Luc Sels suggested that opening up greater roles for women — including the priesthood — and being more welcoming to LGBTQ+ Catholics would be a good place to start.

Francis heard a similar call from the French-speaking campus, where students staged a reading of an articulated critique of his landmark environmental encyclical “Praised Be” in which they called for a “paradigm shift” in the way the church views women.

They noted that the encyclical virtually ignores women, cites no female theologians and contributes to women's “invisibility” in the church and society. Women have long complained they have a second-class status in the church, barred from the priesthood and positions of power despite doing the lion’s share of the work educating the young, caring for the sick and passing on the faith.

Francis, an 87-year-old Argentine Jesuit, said he liked what they said. But he repeated his frequent refrain about women being the “fertile” nurturers who complement men, and that regardless “the church is woman.”

His words drew a remarkable rebuke from the Catholic university that invited him. As soon as he finished speaking, Louvain issued a statement expressing its “incomprehension and disapproval” of his views on women, which it said were “deterministic and reductive.”

“We cannot agree on his position for sure,” said rector Françoise Smets. “We are fighting against discrimination for women, and we would like women to have another role in the society and in the church also.”

During the in-flight press conference, Francis doubled down on women and criticized the Louvain students for what he said was a “pre-made” communique, which was distributed as soon as his remarks finished.

Francis has insisted that women's focus on ordained ministry was misplaced given his claims that they already are more important than men.

"I always speak about the dignity of women, and I said something that I can’t say about men: The church is woman," Francis said. “Women are more important than men because the church is woman.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Queen Paola, mother of King Philippe listens Pope Francis as he presides the holy mass , at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Queen Paola, mother of Queen Mathilde listens Pope Francis as he presides the holy mass , at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Pope Francis presides over the Sunday mass at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Queen Mathilde, left, and King Philippe listen Pope Francis as he presides the holy mass , at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Kids listen Pope Francis as he presides the holy mass , at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Pope Francis presides over the Sunday mass at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

A faithful prays as Pope Francis presides the holy mass , at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead the holy mass , at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Pope Francis holds the pastoral staff as he presides over the Sunday mass at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Faithful wait for the start of a mass presided by Pope Francis at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Faithful wait for the start of a mass presided by Pope Francis at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Priests wait for the start of a mass presided by Pope Francis at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Faithful wait for the start of a mass presided by Pope Francis at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis delivers his message as he meets with students of the Louvain Catholic University in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis delivers his message as he meets with students of the Louvain Catholic University in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis wears a traditional hat at the end of his meeting with students of the Louvain Catholic University in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis cheers faithful at the end of his meeting with students of the Louvain Catholic University in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A priest holds a rosary prior to the start of a mass presided by Pope Francis at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis kisses a child during the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis kisses a child during the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Faithful wait for the start of a mass presided by Pope Francis at King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis attends the Hope Happening youth festival at the Brussels Expo, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, on the third day of his four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis delivers his message as he meets with students of the Louvain Catholic University in Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis is cheered by faithful as he arrives to preside over the Sunday mass in King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis is cheered by faithful as he arrives to preside over the Sunday mass in King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis is cheered by faithful as he arrives to preside over the Sunday mass in King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VIENNA (AP) — The far-right Freedom Party had a lead over the governing conservatives in Austria’s election on Sunday and was well-placed for its first win in a national parliamentary vote, a projection showed. But its chances of governing were unclear.

The projection for ORF public television, based on partial counting, put support for the Freedom Party at 29% in the election and Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party at 26.2%. The center-left Social Democrats were in third place with 20.7%.

Herbert Kickl, a former interior minister and longtime campaign strategist who has led the Freedom Party since 2021, wants to become Austria’s new chancellor on the back of the first far-right national election win in post-World War II Austria.

The far right has tapped into voter frustration over high inflation, the war in Ukraine and the COVID pandemic. It has also built on worries about migration.

In its election program, titled “Fortress Austria,” the Freedom Party calls for “remigration of uninvited foreigners,” for achieving a more “homogeneous” nation by tightly controlling borders and suspending the right to asylum via an “emergency law.”

The Freedom Party also calls for an end to sanctions against Russia, is highly critical of Western military aid to Ukraine and wants to bow out of the European Sky Shield Initiative, a missile defense project launched by Germany. Kickl has criticized “elites” in Brussels and called for some powers to be brought back from the EU to Austria.

But to become Austria’s new leader, he would need a coalition partner to command a majority in the lower house of parliament -- and rivals have said they won’t work with Kickl in government.

“The voter has spoken. Change is wanted in our country," Freedom Party general secretary Michael Schnedlitz said, though he acknowledged that "we don’t have the final result yet.”

People's Party general secretary Christian Stocker conceded that “we didn't achieve first place” but said his party had come back from lower poll ratings. And he reiterated Nehammer's often-stated refusal to form a coalition with Kickl — “that was the case yesterday, and it is the case today and it will still be the case tomorrow.”

More than 6.3 million people age 16 and over were eligible to vote for the new parliament in Austria, a European Union member that has a policy of military neutrality.

Kickl has achieved a turnaround since Austria’s last parliamentary election in 2019. In June, the Freedom Party narrowly won a nationwide vote for the first time in the European Parliament election, which also brought gains for other European far-right parties. The party is a long-established political force but Sunday's projected result, if confirmed, would be its best yet in a national parliamentary election — beating the 26.9% it scored in 1999.

In 2019, its support slumped to 16.2% after a scandal brought down a government in which it was the junior coalition partner. Then-vice chancellor and Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache resigned following the publication of a secretly recorded video in which he appeared to offer favors to a purported Russian investor.

The leader of the Social Democrats, a party that led many of Austria’s post-World War II governments, positioned himself as the polar opposite to Kickl. Andreas Babler ruled out governing with the far right and has labeled Kickl “a threat to democracy.”

While the Freedom Party has recovered, the popularity of Nehammer’s People’s Party, which currently leads a coalition government with the environmentalist Greens as junior partners, declined sharply compared with 2019. The Greens' support also was projected to drop to just under 9%, and the outgoing coalition appeared to be well short of a majority.

During the election campaign, Nehammer portrayed his party, which has taken a tough line on immigration in recent years, as “the strong center” that would guarantee stability amid multiple crises.

But those crisis, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and resulting rising energy prices and inflation, also cost it support. The government also angered many Austrians in 2022 with a short-lived coronavirus vaccine mandate, the first in Europe.

But the recent flooding caused by Storm Boris that hit Austria and other countries in Central Europe brought the environment back into the election debate and may have helped Nehammer slightly narrow the gap with the Freedom Party.

The People’s Party is the far right’s only way into government.

Nehammer has repeatedly excluded joining a government led by Kickl, describing him as a “security risk” for the country, but hasn’t ruled out a coalition with the Freedom Party in and of itself, which would imply Kickl renouncing a position in government.

The likelihood of Kickl agreeing to such a deal if he wins the election is very low, leading political scientist Peter Filzmaier said before the election.

The most probable alternative would be an alliance between the People’s Party and the Social Democrats — with or without the liberal Neos, which took about 9% of the vote.

Associated Press videojournalist Philipp Jenne in Vienna and reporter Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and his wife Katharina arrive at a polling station in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, to cast their votes in the country's national election. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer smiles while leaving a polling station in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, after casting his vote in the country's national election. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer speaks to media outside a polling station in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, after casting his vote in the country's national election. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer arrives at a polling station in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, to cast his vote in the country's national election. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer smiles while exiting a polling station in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, after casting his vote in the country's national election. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer smiles upon arriving at a polling station in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, to cast his vote in the country's national election. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the People's Party attends his final election rally in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Herbert Kickl, leader of the Freedom Party of Austria, addresses supporters during thefinal rally of his electoral campaign, outside the St. Stephen Cathedral, in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, ahead of the country's national election which will take place on Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the Peoples Party (OeVP) attends his final election rally in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Head of the Freedom Party (FPOE) Herbert Kickl gestures during his speech at a final election campaign event at St. Stephen's square in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, ahead of the country's national election which will take place on Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Women walk by posters of the Social Democratic, SPOe Party, showing Andreas Babler, in Vienna, Austria, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, ahead of the country's national election which will take place on Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the Peoples Party (OeVP) attends his final election rally in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Head of the Freedom Party (FPOE) Herbert Kickl, left, waves to supporters besides party colleague Susanne Fuerst after his speech at a final election campaign event at St. Stephen's square in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, ahead of the country's national election which will take place on Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader)