Pope Francis criticised by Belgian Catholic university, moments after visiting

Pope Francis waves to the crowd, on the day of a meeting with students at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, in Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, September 28, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Pope Francis was sharply criticised on Saturday by one of Belgium's Catholic universities over his stance on the role of women in society, in a strongly worded press release issued just moments after the pontiff spoke at the college.

Professors and students at UCLouvain, where the 87-year-old pontiff had made a speech on Saturday afternoon, said they wanted to express their "incomprehension and disapproval" about the pope's views.