Pope wraps troubled Belgium visit by doubling down on abortion

Associated Press Aboard the papal plane: 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 legalising 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 US 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.