Belgium’s prime minister blasted Pope Francis for the Catholic Church’s horrific legacy of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups here, demanding “concrete steps” to come clean with the past and put victims’ interests ahead those of the institution in a blistering welcome at the start of Francis’ visit on Friday.

In a speech in Brussels on Friday, Pope Francis denounced the sexual abuse of minors by priests as a "disgrace" that the Catholic Church must seek forgiveness for. "The church must be ashamed," the pope said in a surprise departure from his speech at the Castle of Laeken.

Earlier on Friday, Belgium's prime minister blasted the pontiff for the Catholic Church's horrific legacy, demanding "concrete steps" to come clean with the past and put victims' interests ahead of those of the institution.