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

Pope Francis implored bishops not to cover up the sexual abuse of children, during an open-air mass on Sunday capping a three-day visit to Belgium, which is still struggling with the legacy of past scandals.

I always talk about the dignity of women,’ he said on his flight back to Rome. ‘An abortion is a homicide,’ he said, adding, ‘The doctors who carry this out are hitmen.’ He also spoke of the ‘responsibility to help the abused and to take care of them