Who is King Baudouin? Meet the king of the Belgians whom Pope Francis wants to canonize

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 4, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Capping off a very busy month of international travels, Pope Francis made a surprise announcement last Sunday to the thousands of attendees at the papal Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

“On my return to Rome, I will open the process for the beatification of King Baudouin,” the pope said as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

Francis went on to call Baudouin a man of faith who serves as an example for leaders today. He also asked the Belgian bishops to “commit themselves” to advancing Baudouin’s canonization cause.

So, who is this Belgian king who, if the pope has his way, may become the next Catholic king to be declared a saint? Meet King Baudouin, the monarch who gave up his earthly crown rather than make himself complicit in the killing of the unborn.

Man, monarch… saint?

Baudouin was born in 1930 in Belgium’s Chateau of Stuyvenberg.

From a young age, his life was marked by hardship. His mother, Queen Astrid, died in a car crash when he was just 4 years old. At 14 he and his family were taken captive by invading Nazis. After the war, revolutionary forces in the country compelled his father, Leopold III, to abdicate in favor of his son, throwing Baudouin into a life of service to his country.

His over 40-year reign, 1951–1993, marked a time of intense social, political, and religious upheaval in Belgium and the world. Despite all this change, Baudouin carried out his duties with complete devotion to his country and his Catholic faith, serving as one of the few unifying factors in the country for which he was beloved by his people.

In 1960, he married another devout Catholic, Princess Fabiola de Mora y Aragon. Though Baudouin greatly desired to be a father, the royal couple never bore children; Queen Fabiola suffered five miscarriages during their marriage.

Despite this, both Baudouin and Fabiola maintained a deep faith in God. The couple found strength in the Eucharist and according to the testament of the chaplain of the Belgian Court, the couple attended daily Mass together.

King Baudouin salutes during the playing of the Belgian national anthem, March 31, 1981. Credit: Marcel Antonisse/Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Baudouin and Fabiola were great promoters of the faith, especially the Catholic charismatic movement. Their witness stood in sharp contrast to the general movement of Belgium, Europe, and the West away from Christianity toward secularism.

Baudouin gives up his crown

In 1990 Baudouin and Fabiola made a pilgrimage to the Holy House of Loreto, Italy. While there they asked the Blessed Virgin Mary for the courage to fight against a new Belgian law legalizing abortion that was then under discussion.

Just months later, the Belgian Parliament passed the law legalizing abortion until 12 weeks of pregnancy.

As king, Baudouin had the duty of signing all new legislation into law, a duty he had carried out faithfully for decades. However, Baudouin refused to sign this law. Citing his Catholic beliefs and his own inability to have children, Baudouin informed the government that he could not and would not sign the law.

In a message to Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens, Baudouin explained his decision, saying: “I fear that this law will contribute to a palpable diminution of respect for the lives of the weakest among us.”

This decision caused significant political pushback and threw the country into a constitutional crisis.

King Baudouin of the Belgians was known as a devout Catholic monarch who was uncompromising in his Catholics ideals. This led to a dramatic showdown with the Belgian government in which Baudouin was forced to give up the throne in 1990. Credit: Joop van Bilsen/Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

In response to criticism, Baudouin wrote: “I know by acting in this way I have not chosen an easy path and that I risk not being understood by many of my fellow citizens. To those who may be shocked by my decision, I ask them: Is it right that I am the only Belgian citizen to be forced to act against his conscience in such a crucial area? Is the freedom of conscience sacred for everyone except for the king?”

Ultimately, Martens concocted a compromise in which Baudouin agreed to declare himself unfit to rule so that the government could carry out the democratic process needed to enact the law.  

On April 3, 1990, Baudouin was removed with his consent from the Belgian throne for his refusal to sign the abortion bill. Due to his massive popularity, however, Parliament restored his crown just 36 hours later on April 5.

A leader to illuminate today’s leaders

On July 31, 1993, at the age of 63, Baudouin died from a sudden heart attack. Once again, he brought the country together as citizens across Belgium mourned his passing. He had reigned continuously for 42 years except for those 36 hours in 1990.

Pope John Paul II praised Baudouin in a 1995 general audience in which he said that “he was a great guardian of the rights of the human conscience, ready to defend the divine commandments, and especially the Fifth Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill,’ especially with regard to the protection of the life of unborn children.”

Pope Francis prays at the tomb of Belgian King Baudouin, who chose to abdicate rather than sign an abortion law, on Sept. 28, 2024. Credit: Vatican Media

This past weekend, Pope Francis, accompanied by the current Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, visited the royal crypt at Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels. While there, Francis spent a few moments praying in front of Baudouin’s tomb.

According to the Vatican, Francis praised Baudouin’s courage for choosing to “leave his place as king in order not to sign a murderous law.”

Referencing a bill currently being considered in Belgium to further expand abortion, the Holy See Press Office said that “the pope urged Belgians to look to him [Baudouin] at this time when criminal laws are still being made.”

Considering this and other laws, conflicts, and struggles throughout the world, Francis voiced his hope that Baudouin’s “example as a man of faith enlightens those who govern.”