Baldwin I of Belgium, the king who abdicated the throne to avoid signing an abortion law and is to be beatified by Pope Francis

During the years of Leopold’s rule over the Congo, the country’s population decreased by about ten million people; in 1907, due to international pressure, Leopold II was forced to cede the country to Belgium, withdrawing its possessions. Although oppression and slavery They did not end when the government took over Congolese territory. Soon new raw materials such as gold, copper, tin, uranium and diamonds were discovered and the Congolese population once again became victims of colonial exploitation.

Baldwin was the son of King Leopold III and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden. became fifth king of belgium Reigned after his father’s abdication on July 16, 1951, until his death from a heart attack in Motril (Granada) in 1993.

On December 15, 1960, she married a Spanish aristocrat in Brussels. Fabiola de Mora y AragonDaughter of the Marquis of Casa Riera and owner of a house in Motril, which she named ‘Villa Astrida’ in honor of Baudouin’s mother, Queen Astrid. During his reign there was Congolese independenceIn 1960, rwanda And burundiin 1962, which marked the end of Belgium’s status as a colonial power.

baldwin was an emperor deeply religious who achieved immense popularity in his country, he was put to the test in the 1990s, when he acted in the most Controversial, praised and criticized Throughout his reign with a decision that only he could afford.

In March of the same year, the Belgian Parliament and Senate had recently Decriminalize abortion In some specific cases, but the king did not want to sign a law that conflicted with his most basic and profound principles that he had expressed before the possible advent of this law. In his Christmas speech the previous year, in 1989, he had recalled that “children deserve special protection and care, and this includes the rights of the unborn child.

a conscientious objector king

Although this law had been democratically approved by representatives of the Belgian people, Baudouin alleged that your conscience This does not allow them to sign something that goes against their religious principles and beliefs, so a solution has to be found so that they do not have to do so without shirking their responsibilities and protecting the normal functioning of democratic institutions.

For this he sent a letter to the government in which he requested that a legal solution and it’s his right freedom of conscienceLike any Belgian citizen was recognized. Being a king cannot be the only exception.

When his decision became public the Prime Minister had to intervene to reduce it extreme stress And wanted a consensus among opposition leaders, Belgium’s most influential figures and members of his own party, because this was something that had never been seen before.

Only in 1940, during World War II, did Baldwin’s father, Leopold III, temporarily cease to rule for reasons of force majeure, while he was nazi prisonerBut no one has done it willingly, let alone for good reason.

Constitution to defend

After several consultations, it was decided that the king might benefit from Article 82 of the Belgian Constitution which prescribes the replacement of the head of state in case of temporary impossibility to rule, a solution that received the support of the royal and Council of MinistersThis would be the body that, after confirming the temporary incapacity of the representative of the Crown to rule, assumed its powers and approved the text decriminalizing abortion in Belgium.

The new law allows abortion before the 12th week, as long as it represents serious danger to mother or that the child is suffering from some disease serious incurable problemFurthermore, the rule stipulated that health professionals could take advantage of the discretion clause not to practice it. Who did not recognize there was a new law rape caseThis is why it was considered the most moderate norm throughout Europe.

The king’s gesture was broad Appreciated and endorsed by the VaticanFrom where he praised his approach and his behavior with which Baldwin had given the nation a clear reference point of values. Furthermore, the majority of Belgians also supported the Emperor and his decisions. to gatherWhich allowed him to make that complex decision.

36 hours without a king

During the time that Baldwin was no longer king of the Belgians, 36 hours between 4 and 5 May 1990A tense debate ensued in which some defended the freedom of conscience of all citizens, including the King, while others affirmed that the Crown was an institution which follow decisions Taken democratically by representatives of the public. There were also those who demanded the abdication of the king and questioned his competence, proposing the adoption of a republic or reducing the royal person to a symbolic institution.

One and a half days after the king resigned from the throne reclaimed his crown The joint session of both Houses of Parliament was followed by live telecast by all the media in the country. 245 deputies and senators voted in favor. 93 remained absent.

During my visit to Belgium a few days ago, Pope Francis He went to the royal crypt of Our Lady of Lichen and stopped in front of Baldwin’s tomb. There he told this to the world the principles he preached His reign of more than four decades was enough for him Ultimate happiness Possibly, the only king who refused to sign a law because his conscience did not allow it.