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From September 26 to 29, Pope Francis visited Luxembourg and Belgium, where he met with Jesuits from Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands on several occasions.

After a brief stop in Luxembourg, Pope Francis spent four days in Belgium, accepting invitations from KU Leuven and UCLouvain, two universities celebrating their 600th anniversary this year. This visit came shortly after the 87-year-old pontiff’s long trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania. His arrival was eagerly anticipated, marking the first papal visit to Belgium since Pope John Paul II’s in 1995.

The Jesuits were present at multiple stages of the Pope’s journey. In Luxembourg, on Thursday, September 26, he was welcomed at the Notre-Dame Cathedral by Jesuit Fathers Gabriel Pigache, Jacques Weisshaupt, Jean-Marie Birsens, and Christian Motsch. The visit coincided with the 400th anniversary of the National Pilgrimage of the Octave, dedicated to Our Lady Consoler of the Afflicted, a tradition initiated by the Jesuits in 1624. Reflecting on this, Father Christian Motsch, SJ, of the Christ the King Chapel, noted, "A Jesuit Pope in the 21st century renews the Church's call to stand with the poorest and most afflicted. In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, Pope Francis will remind us, as Luxembourgers and Christians, of our responsibility in facing the ecological and social crises causing immense suffering today."

On Friday, the Pope continued his visit in Belgium, meeting with King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. He then visited KU Leuven, where he also met with survivors of sexual abuse within the Church, including two victims who shared their experiences of abuse by Jesuits.

On Saturday, Pope Francis addressed bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and pastoral workers at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg. Among those present were Father Thierry Dobbelstein, SJ, Provincial of the Jesuits, and members of the Belgian Jesuit communities. In the afternoon, the Pope met with students from UCLouvain in Louvain-la-Neuve. As with all his travels, he took time for a private audience with the Jesuits, attended by more than 130 members from seven Jesuit communities across French-speaking Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and the Netherlands.

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