King Philippe I of Belgium has reigned since 2013 and will welcome Pope Francis to Belgium this weekend. He was the only reigning monarch to attend the funeral mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on January 5, 2023, in St. Peter’s Square. Highly respected and appreciated, the king of the Belgians — who actively contributed to the Pope’s visit to his country — is known for his deep faith. At the same time, he remains faithful to his duty of reserve, given his role as constitutional arbiter in the face of political crises.
“The king’s private life must be respected,” say all those who know him and do not wish to discuss his relationship with the Catholic faith. Apart from attending certain Masses on national holidays or taking part in specific ceremonies — such as the ordination of the new Archbishop of Malines-Brussels, Luc Terlinden, on September 3, 2023 — the king is very discreet about his participation in religious services.
He is known to be close to the Emmanuel Community, which is particularly active in Belgium. The weight of the royal office, however, gives him a role above party politics that requires him to maintain a certain reserve in public life. In spite of this, a few initiatives do demonstrate his commitment to his faith, such as the audience he gave to young Belgian pilgrims returning from the World Youth Day in Lisbon in the summer of 2023.
He has also visited the Vatican on several occasions and certainly helped convince the Pope to visit his country, notably during his visit to the Vatican on September 14, 2023.
His immediate predecessors also practicing Catholics
King Philippe celebrated 10 years on the throne last year, but he could have become king as early as the 1990s. After the unexpected death of King Baudouin while on vacation in Spain on July 31, 1993, there were a few hours of turmoil at the top of the Belgian state. This deeply Catholic king had been crowned in 1951 at the age of 21 but had no descendants. His nephew Philippe was approached, but in the end, it was the late king’s brother who was called to reign under the name of Albert II.
Albert II reigned for 20 years, before abdicating in 2013, while maintaining a presence in Belgian public life as king emeritus. He also has close ties to Catholicism. In fact, he met his Italian wife Paola at the Belgian Embassy to the Holy See on the occasion of Pope John XXIII’s coronation festivities in 1958.
Today, he continues to make frequent visits to Rome, where he attended the opening Mass of the Jubilee of Mercy in St. Peter’s Square on December 8, 2015. According to our information, he is expected to be present for Pope Francis’ visit to Brussels.
The Polish connection
For his part, King Philippe, originally considered to be shy and introverted, has been gradually transformed by his office, with the intangible support of his wife, Queen Mathilde, whom he married in 1999. Her maternal grandmother, Zofia Sapieha (1919-1997), was a Polish aristocrat related to Cardinal Adam Sapieha (1867-1951).
Archbishop of Krakow from 1925 until his death, Cardinal Sapieha ordained the young Father Karol Wojtyla, the future John Paul II, to the priesthood in 1946.
King Baudouin, a model of political sanctity?
King Philippe’s predecessor, King Baudouin, and his wife Fabiola are widely recognized as having been exemplars of Christian life. “It’s obvious that King Philippe sees himself as a spiritual son of King Baudouin,” says a member of the royal family.
Although no formal case has been opened, the question of Baudouin’s beatification continues to be openly raised in certain Church circles. Benedict XVI himself reportedly told Belgian visitors in private that he considered the former king a saint.
While he is remembered for his kindness and humanity, some Belgians criticize King Baudouin for a certain political naiveté on the international stage — which highlights the often-delicate balancing act between a monarch’s personal uprightness and concern for charity in personal relationships, with his political sense, which by duty must be dedicated to defending the interests of his nation.
King Philippe is still considered a “young king,” even though he is older than King Baudouin at the time of his death (63). His discreet, unostentatious, but sincere faith has never aroused criticism, even among the strictest secularists.
And today we celebrate...