Bree (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Priest in Bree and Bocholt Gianluca Loperfido in the Flemish province of Limburg, Belgium, will remember Pope Francis as “a man full of joy”. The priest met with the Pope seven times during his life before his last visit before entering the hospital.
Priest Gianluca Loperfido from Bree and Bocholt met Pope Francis seven times, describing him as a “man full of joy.” The Pope received the priest Gianluca Loperfido at his final meeting shortly before his medical treatment.
“I thanked him for his visit to Belgium, but I did not expect his health to deteriorate so quickly,”
Loperfido said.
During their initial meeting, the Pope displayed exceptional warmth after discussing matters about poverty and refugees.
“He smiled and embraced me—I felt his enormous warmth,”
The priest shared. At his second encounter with Loperfido, the Pope constantly showed his contentment as the priest performed Marina by Rocco Granata.
The death of the Pope is, therefore, a hard blow to the priest.
“I couldn’t believe it at first, but I was really in shock. I knew that his health was bad, because I saw him the week before he was admitted to the hospital. I thanked him for his visit to Belgium. But I didn’t expect his health to deteriorate so quickly. We are all very sad.”
Although it is not only sadness that prevails.
“I also feel enormous gratitude that I was able to know him and that I met him a number of times. He shook us all awake and he showed us reality. He was committed to the poor, the vulnerable, the refugees and also to nature. He was very attentive to the problems of all people and he wanted to care for the world.”
“He fought for peace with enormous sobriety,”
The priest continues.
“He was a simple man who cared about all people. For example, he brought up the wars every Sunday and asked for prayers for all victims. He even acknowledged the evil in the Church and took time for all victims of sexual abuse. He really wanted to fight against all the evil in the world.”
A successor to Pope Francis will soon be chosen.
“Only the Holy Spirit knows who that will be. It will be a surprise for everyone anyway, but I am curious about who it will be. But Pope Francis will always be in my heart,”
The priest added.
What is the global and regional context of Clergy abuse and prevention efforts?
Around the world, the Catholic Church underwent severe investigation following reports about widespread clergy sexual abuse. French investigators determined that 216,000 victims suffered abuse from clergy members during the time period from 1950 to 2020, and most cases involved young victims under 14 years old.
A 2018 German research determined that 4.4% of church officials faced abuse accusations, which predominantly victimised male children under 13 years old. Between 1950 and 2010, the Royal Commission in Australia confirmed that 7% of Catholic priests committed sexual abuse, leading to 4,444 reported incidents and 40 suicides of abuse victims in Victoria.
The United States has documented 5,300 cases of valid abuse claims against religious leaders, including Pennsylvania’s 2018 disclosure about 300 predator priests abusing 1,000 victims.
The Dallas Charter (2002) introduced mandatory abuse reporting but failed to eliminate existing gaps that allow approximately 1,700 credibly accused US clergy members to avoid surveillance in positions where they interact with kids.
Studies show that MinistrySafe’s 5-Part Safety System training method exists, but only 58% of Southern Baptist churches performed background checks in 2024.
The US has 28 states that enforce abuse prevention education at schools, yet educational programs struggle to take effect because of insufficient oversight, control and funding resources. 8
Under Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has taken two important steps: first, he led a 2019 summit aimed at treating abuse, and second, he implemented transparency reforms during the same year. Survivors encounter multiple obstacles, such as institutional silence and fear of reprisals, based on data presented during Australia’s Royal Commission investigations.
The limited availability of data about abuse incidents in Belgium reveals larger European trends that show both high abuse occurrence in Germany and significant changes in France. The passing of Pope Francis and his protection work with disadvantaged communities, such as abuse survivors, demonstrates a wide-ranging conflict between current ecclesiastical changes and established institutional faults.
