Catholic Church must learn from abuse victims, Pope Francis says

Pope Francis addressed the Belgian victims of clerical sexual abuse again on Saturday offering words of contrition in a speech at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg.

"Abuse generates atrocious suffering and wounds, undermining even the path of faith," the pope told the congregation gathered in the church.

"One of the roots of violence stems from the abuse of power when we use the positions we have to crush or manipulate others," he added, vowing that the Catholic Church would learn from the victims.

The pontiff was speaking after a bruising welcome to Belgium from the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and the Belgian King Philippe on Friday over sexual abuse within the church.

The Belgian king told the pope that "it has taken far too long to begin looking for ways to repair the irreparable."

The Belgian prime minister meanwhile told the head of the Catholic Church that words are not enough and that "concrete steps must also be taken."

"The victims must be heard. They should be at the centre. They have a right to the truth," De Croo said in his speech to welcome the pope.

The pope met in private with a group of 15 victims of clerical sexual abuse on Friday in Brussels along with two translators and two psychologists.

The meeting lasted two hours and was an "open, difficult and also emotional conversation," a participant told the Belgian news agency Belga afterwards.

The pope will later visit the Catholic University in Louvain-La-Neuve.