Veteran Vatican observers in Rome, like Francis X. Rocca, formerly of The Wall Street Journal, point out that Belgium was the second country to legalize euthanasia, after the neighboring Netherlands, in 2002.

As Pope Francis prepares to travel to Luxembourg and Belgium, his trip will feature several important underlying themes as he sets foot in one of Europe’s most secular nations and prepares to deliver messages to a continent marred by war and abuse.

Pope Francis held his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, two days after cancelling meetings over what the Vatican described as a mild flu. The 87-year-old pontiff, who has suffered bouts of ill health in recent years,