Pope Francis Receives King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium at the Vatican



Pope Francis received King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium on Thursday morning in the Vatican, as released in a statement from the Holy See Press Office.
After the audience with the Pope, the Belgian King and Queen met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, in the offices of the Secretariat of State.

The Holy See's statement noted, "satisfaction was expressed at the good relations between the Holy See and Belgium, highlighting the role of Christian faith and the Catholic Church."

The discussions, the communiqué explained, primarily focused on matters of common interest and some issues of an international nature, with special reference to Africa, the war in Ukraine, and commitment to peace among peoples.
The Belgian royals had previously traveled to the Vatican in January to attend the funeral Mass of late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on the 31st of December 2022.

According to the Eurobarometer poll carried out by the European Commission in 2021, the 11.59 million (2021) population share of  Christians was 49%, with Catholicism being the largest denomination at 44%. Protestants and other christians comprised 4% and Orthodox Christians comprised 1%. Non-religious people comprised 41% of the population and were divided between those who primarily identified as atheists (15%) or as agnostics (26%). A further 2% of the population was Muslim, with the remainder belonging to other religious or unspecified groups.

Sources: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2023/09/14/0627/01375.html 

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