Pope Francis was pressed firmly by Belgium's king and premier on Friday for more concrete action to address sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, an issue once more in the spotlight as he visits.

While in Belgium, Pope Francis will have to face a backlash against local church authorities amid child abuse scandals. The Vatican hopes the visit will also help the EU "rediscover its roots".

As Pope Francis begins his trip to Luxembourg and Belgium, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin says Europe is “increasing the risk of falling back into the tragic errors of those times.”