Papal visit preparations continue despite concern over Pope’s health

Preparations for the Pope’s visit to Belgium, which is considered an official state visit, are still under way despite cancellations of his recent engagements due to a mild case of the flu.

Pope Francis is set to visit from 26 to 29 September and will stop in Brussels, Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve after first popping by Luxembourg on Thursday. The visit includes a meeting with a group of 15 victims of sexual abuse within the church.

But visits elsewhere for 24 September were cancelled due to illness, according to a statement from the Vatican.

Pope Francis has had to cancel several appointments in recent months because of his health condition, and because of knee pain and a hip problem is now mostly in a wheelchair during public appearances.

In December, Pope Francis will turn 88, making him the oldest pope in more than a century.

“We received news that the Pope had a slight flu, that he was going to take a few hours' rest, that he would not be receiving any audiences today, that he was preparing for the visit to Belgium, so we're pretty calm,” said Father Tommy Scholtes, who will accompany the Pope for his Belgian visit.

“We thought he'd rest up a few days beforehand. We hope with all our hearts that he will be able to come, and all the preparations are continuing.”

At the accreditation centre where those preparations are taking place, more than 3,000 badges are being prepared by Rodolphe Dulait and his team.

“Our message here is that we're continuing our work, we'll be ready and of course the Pope will come,” Dulait told RTL.

General manager of the Koekelberg basilica, Martine Motteux-Abeloos, echoed the sentiment, saying the Pope “really wants to come to Belgium and we want him to be here”.

The last time a pope visited the Basilica was John Paul II's visit in 1995 for the beatification of Father Damien, who has since been canonised.

Pope Francis’s visit is part of the 600th anniversary of KU Leuven and UC Louvain. The two universities will celebrate the anniversary in 2025.

“We wish him well and hope he recovers quickly,” KU Leuven said in a statement. “Meanwhile, we will continue preparations as planned, we remain calm.”

The Bishops' Conference is also continuing planned preparations.

Assuming the Pope does visit Belgium, traffic will be adapted and there will be some temporary local closures, but the motorways will not be blocked.

An escort would be on hand for all travel during the four days, along with extra security at the various venues.

On the final day of the visit, a mass will be held at the Stade Roi Baudouin in front of 39,000 spectators. Public transport operator Stib will be running extra services to the stadium.

So far this year, 1,500 heads of state and government have paid a visit to Belgium, each requiring various levels of preparation and security.

Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga