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Pope Francis Faces Backlash Over Comments on Women at UCLouvain

Pope Francis has encountered stern criticism from UCLouvain, a prominent Catholic university in Belgium, regarding his views on the role of women in society. This disapproval was articulated in a press release issued shortly after the pontiff delivered a speech at the institution.

The university, responding to the 87-year-old pontiff’s approach during his visit on Saturday, expressed a collective “incomprehension and disapproval” from its professors and students regarding his conservative stance.

“UCLouvain deplores the conservative positions expressed by Pope Francis on the role of women in society,” the statement said. Such strong language highlights a rare instance of a Catholic university publicly rebuking the pope.

Pope Francis attended the university to mark its upcoming 600th anniversary as part of his weekend itinerary in Belgium. While his address primarily focused on advocating for urgent action against climate change, he also addressed a letter from university students and faculty members that raised concerns about the church’s teachings on women’s roles.

The letter, which was presented to the pope during his visit, questioned the historical impact of the Church in perpetuating female subservience, the inequitable distribution of labor, and the significant issue of female poverty. It poignantly stated, “Throughout the history of the Church, women have been made invisible. What place, then, for women in the Church?”

In response, Pope Francis asserted that the Church embodies femininity, referencing that the Italian term for ‘church’, “chiesa”, is a feminine noun. He elaborated, stating, “A woman within the People of God is a daughter, a sister, a mother,” elaborating on the nurturing qualities associated with womanhood.

Despite his affirmations, he did not outline any specific reforms regarding women’s roles in the Church or society. In reaction to his comments, the UCLouvain statement labeled his perspective as “deterministic and reductive.”

Valentine Hendrix, a 22-year-old student, expressed her dismay, stating, “He reduces us to a role of childbearer, mother, wife, everything we want to emancipate ourselves from.”

Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, a climatologist from UCLouvain, criticized the pope’s response as well. “To reply that the Church is a woman is really missing the point of the question – about the Church’s respect for women and their role in the institution and in society,” he noted.

Earlier in the visit, the pope paid tribute at the tomb of Belgium’s King Baudouin, who famously refused to endorse a law decriminalizing abortion in 1990 due to his personal convictions. Pope Francis characterized the legislation, enacted after the king temporarily stepped down from his duties to avoid sanctioning it, as “a murderous law.”

Throughout his trip, Pope Francis has faced ongoing scrutiny. Belgian leadership, including the king and prime minister, urged the pope to take definitive measures to support survivors of abuse within the Catholic Church. Additionally, a different Catholic university rector called on him to reconsider the Church’s ban on female priests.

UCLouvain has approximately 38,000 students and encompasses 20 faculties. Its criticism of the pope resonates within broader discussions about gender roles within the Church, which has historically featured an all-male clergy. Although Pope Francis has established two commissions to examine the potential role of women as deacons, who are ordained but cannot celebrate Mass, progress on this issue has been stagnant.

In the last eleven years of his papacy, however, Francis has made some strides toward gender inclusivity, revising the Vatican’s governing documents to allow women leadership roles in various departments and granting them voting rights at significant synods for the first time.

The three-day visit has been overshadowed by the Catholic Church’s troubled history of child sexual abuse, culminating in a meeting with 17 victims on Friday. During this encounter, victims shared their harrowing stories and expressed their expectations for the Church’s accountability. The Vatican indicated that Pope Francis “took note” of their requests.

Belgium has been deeply affected by a legacy of abuse scandals, further highlighted by a compelling documentary released last year, prompting renewed voices from victims seeking recognition and reparations from the Church.

On Saturday morning, in a gathering involving clergy at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels, Pope Francis was again confronted about these sensitive issues. When addressed by a representative from an organization assisting abuse survivors, he acknowledged the “atrocious suffering and wounds” inflicted by the Church.

“There is a need for a great deal of mercy to keep us from hardening our hearts before the suffering of victims, so that we can help them feel our closeness,” he said.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

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