Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander de Croo demands "concrete actions" to settle with the past and put the interests of abuse victims before those of the church.
The speech is one of the sharpest directed at the Pope during his foreign travels so far. Even Belgium's King Philippe demands at the meeting at Laeken Castle that the church "unceasingly" work to atone for its crimes and help victims heal.
In Belgium, revelations about abuse and systematic cover-ups have been uncovered over two decades, which has put the trust in the Catholic Church to the test.
Today, words alone are not enough. We also need concrete actions, says De Croo.
Victims must be heard. They need to be at the center. They have a right to the truth. Misdeeds must be acknowledged, he says on Friday in front of royalty, church officials, diplomats, and politicians.
When something goes wrong, we cannot accept cover-ups. To be able to look to the future, the church must acknowledge its past.
In his own speech at the meeting, the Pope says the church must "seek forgiveness".
This is our shame and our humiliation, he says in his speech.
The church must be ashamed and must seek forgiveness.
The Pope is expected to meet with abuse victims later on Friday.
