Francis in Luxembourg and Belgium

Pope Francis on Sept. 29 strongly condemned the disproportionate use of military force for the purposes of retaliation and said that any nation that violates this principle is "immoral."

Pope Francis on Sept. 28 slammed the "arrogant indifference" of powerful leaders who put financial interests over efforts to save the planet and said a conversion of the heart is necessary to combat climate change. 

At the Catholic University of Leuven, Pope Francis heard pleas for women's ordination, welcome to LGBTQ people and a deeper reckoning with its history of clergy abuse and cover-up. 

Pope Francis on Sept. 27 kicked off a three-day trip to Belgium by asking forgiveness for the church's shameful record on clergy abuse, but was met with a challenge by the country's prime minister that "words alone do not suffice."

Pope Francis on Sept. 26 used an eight-hour visit to one of the least populated but most secularized countries in Europe to cast a renewed vision for a church that is willing to "evolve" in order to evangelize the modern world. 

Pope Francis' Sept. 26-29 visit to Luxembourg and Belgium in Europe will force him to confront some of the Catholic Church's biggest challenges, including the clergy sexual abuse crisis and declining church attendance.