Pope Francis has doubled down on his traditional views on abortion and women during his in-flight news conference coming home from Belgium.

Pope Francis has wrapped up a weekend trip to Belgium by praising victims and demanding that sexually abusive clergy be judged, after facing strong criticism that the Catholic Church was failing to face up to the problem.

Pope Francis was pressed firmly by Belgium's king and premier on Friday for more concrete action to address sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy, an issue once more in the spotlight as he visits. Both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo raised the issue in public in unusually forceful language for a papal foreign trip,