Tickets for Pope Francis' beatification Mass in Brussels' King Baudouin Stadium sold out in record time. In only 90 minutes, the 32,000 free online tickets ran out.
In the country's largest soccer stadium, the Pope will beatify Carmelite Sister Ana de Jesús, who was a close companion of St. Teresa of Ávila.
This Mass is the final event of the Pope's four day trip to Luxembourg and Belgium. The respective mottos are “To serve” and “Forward with Hope.”
Starting in Luxembourg on September 26, Pope Francis will spend one day meeting with civil authorities and the Catholic community.
The next three days will be spent in Belgium, where he will visit with the King and Queen, prime minister and other officials. The Pope will also dedicate time to meeting with the Belgian bishops, priests, university students and hold a private meeting with victims of sexual abuse.
His visit marks the 600th anniversary of the Catholic universities of Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. 50% of the Belgian population identifies as Catholic.
This trip comes just a week and a half after the longest trip of his pontificate to 4 countries in Asia.
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