As long as the conversation focused on pastoral and spiritual themes, it went smoothly. Only when the victims broached the subject of greater financial compensation did the Pope, according to Puype, hold off. “He said he can’t do anything about it. I pointed out to him that he is the boss of the Belgian bishops and can persuade them to do more. Then he recovered and said he would certainly contact them and do his best, but he did not give a concrete timing.”
The victims’ request for the resignation of Archbishop Terlinden as point of contact for victims of sexual abuse also remained unanswered. “He said he would look into it, but again he remained vague. If you as pope want to prove something, you say: action will be taken within six months. That did not happen,” Puype concludes.