The Holy Father Francis, during his recent Apostolic Journey in Belgium, announced the initiation of the Cause for beatification and canonization of Baudouin, King of the Belgians. The Secretariat of State subsequently communicated that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints would promote and undertake ex officio the Cause in question.

In order to follow up on this, the Department began the planned process by setting up the regular Historical Commission on 17 December 2024, composed of distinguished experts in archival research and Belgian history, to collect and evaluate the documentation concerning King Baudouin.