Papal visit to Luxembourg, Belgium focuses on faith, education

Pope Francis’ Sept. 26-29 visits to Luxembourg and Belgium come 13 days after completing his longest papal visit.

Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore Sep. After visiting countries 3-13, the Pope will visit the small European country of Luxembourg on September 26 and neighboring Belgium, Brussels, Leuven and Louvain on September 26-29. La-Neuve.

He adheres to the traditional essentials: greeting high-ranking government officials, meeting with local Catholics, celebrating open-air Mass and meeting privately with his fellow Jesuits.

The main focus of the visit to Belgium is to mark the founding of the Catholic University of Leuven, the world’s oldest Catholic university, which will celebrate its 600th anniversary in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V, today the university is divided into the Dutch-speaking KU Leuven, located in Leuven, and the French-speaking UCLouvain, which moved to Louvain-la-Neuve. The Pope will meet professors at the Dutch-speaking school and students at the French-speaking campus.

Persistent tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemish in the north and the French-speaking Walloons in the south led to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy, according to The CIA Factbook.

Of Belgium’s nearly 12 million residents, 57% are Catholic, more than 5% are Protestant and other Christian denominations, 6.8% are Muslim, 9% are atheist, and 20% are non-believers/agnostic, according to the Factbook.

The capital, Brussels, serves as the capital of the European Union, the headquarters of the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the formal seat of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe. It is also the headquarters of NATO.

Along with Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was one of the six countries that founded the European Economic Community in 1957. Later it became part of the European Union.

About half the size of Delaware, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy and nearly three-quarters of its population of 670,000 are Christian. 63.8% of Christians are Catholics. According to EU statistics, about 2.6% of the population is Muslim and 23.4% of people do not identify with any religion.

Francis created the country’s first cardinal in 2019 when he elevated its archbishop to the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, 65, a Jesuit, is a member of the Pope’s Council of Cardinals and Liaison General of the Synod of Bishops. Synodality.

The last time a Pope visited Luxembourg was St. John Paul II in 1985, and the last time for Belgium was in 1995 when St. John Paul went to Brussels for the canonization of St. Damien de Wester.

Here is a detailed schedule of the Pope’s visit, published by the Vatican on July 19. Times listed are local, Eastern Daylight Saving Time in parentheses.

Thursday, September 26 (Rome, Luxembourg, Brussels)

— 8:05 am (2:05 am) departure from Rome Fiumicino Airport.

– 10am (4am) arrival at Luxembourg Findel International Airport in Luxembourg and official welcome.

– 10:45am (4:45am) Honorary visit with Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg at the Grand Ducal Palace.

— 11:15 am (5:15 am) Meeting with Prime Minister Luc Frieden.

– 11:50 a.m. (5:50 a.m.) Meeting with officials, members of the diplomatic corps and local representatives at the Cercle Cité. Pope’s speech.

– 4:30 pm (10:30 am) Meeting with the Catholic community at the Luxembourg Cathedral of Notre-Dame. Pope’s speech.

– 5:45pm (11:45am) Farewell ceremony at Luxembourg Findel International Airport.

— 6:15 pm (12:15 pm) departure from Luxembourg Final International Airport to Brussels.

– 7:10 PM (1:10 PM) Arrival and official reception at Melsbroek Air Base near Brussels, Belgium.

Friday, September 27 (Brussels, Leuven)

– 9:15 a.m. (3:15 a.m.) Honorary visit with King Philippe of Belgium at Laeken Castle in Brussels.

– 9:45 am (3:45 am) Meeting with Prime Minister Alexandre de Groove.

– 10 am (4 am) Meeting with officials and local government representatives. Pope’s speech.

– 4:30 pm (10:30 am) meeting with university professors at the Dutch-speaking KU Leuven. Pope’s speech.

Saturday, September 28 (Brussels, Louvain-la-Neuve)

– 10 a.m. (4 a.m.) meeting with bishops, priests, deacons, religious, seminarians and pastoral workers at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Kogelberg. Pope’s speech.

– 4:30pm (10:30am) Meeting with university students at French-speaking UCLouvain. Pope’s speech.

— 6:15 pm (12:15 pm) Personal meeting with members of the Congregation of Jesus at St. Michael’s College.

Sunday, September 29 (Brussels, Rome)

– 10am (4am) Mass at King Baudouin Stadium. Oration by the Pope and the Angelus.

– 12:15pm (6:15am) Farewell ceremony at Melsbroek air base near Brussels.

– 12:45pm (6:45am) Flight to Rome takes off from Melsbroek airport near Brussels.

– 2:55 PM (8:55 AM) Arrival at Rome Fiumicino Airport.