ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 5, 2025 / 15:36 pm

Sept. 26 marks one year since Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Belgium to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Catholic universities of Leuven and Leuven-la-Neuve, an event that involved a significant financial and logistical effort.

In a recent statement, the Belgian bishops announced a new collection to raise the remaining 800,000 euros ($940,000) to cover the debts owed for the historic event. The Argentinian pope’s visit — lasting two and a half days — cost more than 3 million euros ($3.5 million). Patrick du Bois, who was responsible for logistics during the papal visit, confirmed the figure to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Ensuring the necessary security for the bishop of Rome, preparing the city for the pope’s visit,

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