Pope Francis asked for forgiveness in Belgium for the Catholic church's clergy abuse scandal and its poor response to it on Friday, but the country's prime minister called for faith's leadership to do more.

During a trip to Luxembourg and Belgium, Francis will spend an hour meeting with 15 people who were abused by Roman Catholic clergy. Survivors say it is not enough.

Speaking before approximately 300 dignitaries, the pope remarked that child abuse is “a scourge that the Church is tackling resolutely and firmly.”

Pope Francis on Thursday began his trip to once-strong bastions of Christianity in the heart of Europe in an effort to reinvigorate a Catholic flock that is dwindling in the face of secular trends and abuse scandals that have largely emptied the continent’s magnificent cathedrals and village churches.

Pope Francis arrived in Luxembourg on Thursday for a brief visit to one of Europe's smallest countries ahead of a weekend trip to Belgium, where he will highlight the needs of migrants and meet a group of survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy.