Multiple victims of sexual abuse committed by the Catholic Church in Belgium have called on Pope Francis to recognise their suffering in an open letter published on Thursday.

“Although you have repeatedly taken up this subject with clarity and force of conviction, you have never addressed us, the victims or more precisely the survivors – as a whole,” said the open letter published by local media.

“Isn’t it time to send the world this precious missive that so many shattered lives need, often without them even knowing it?” the letter said.

Published ahead of the pope’s visit to Belgium later in September, where the pontiff is planning to meet with victims of the church, the letter by six survivors detailed their demands to the pontiff.

The victims called on the church to reflect on obligatory celibacy for clerics as “a weakened priest is a man who can drift to the worst.”

The letter also called for all bishops to establish in-depth investigations in their dioceses, an information campaign to allow more victims to come forward, training and information for clergy and teachers, as well as financial compensation for victims.

Pope Francis would first visit Luxembourg on September 26 and then stay in Belgium until September 29, where he would visit Brussels, Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. 

(dpa/NAN)