Pope Benedict XVI decried the raids as "surprising and deplorable".

The Pope also voiced his support for the Belgian bishops who were held during the searches.

In a message of solidarity to the head of the Belgian bishops' conference, Pope Benedict said justice must take its course but also asserted the right of the Catholic Church to investigate abuse alongside civil law enforcement authorities.

It was the first time the Pope had commented on the raids. On Saturday, the No 2 Vatican official said the raids were unprecedented even under communism.

In a message to Belgian bishops, the Pope expressed his solidarity "in this moment of sadness".

Several buildings were searched in raids targeting a retired archbishop and the graves of two prelates.

Prosecutors said the action concerned alleged "abuse of minors committed by a certain number of church figures".

Police in Leuven, central Belgium, seized nearly 500 files and a computer from the offices of a church commission investigating allegations of sex abuse.

They also searched the church's headquarters and the Brussels archdiocese in Mechelen, north of the Belgian capital.

Belgium's bishops, who were holding a meeting at the time of the raids, were kept incommunicado for nine hours while the searches were conducted.

Pope Benedict's criticism of the raids came in a message of support to Brussels Archbishop Monsignor Andre Joseph Leonard, the head of the Belgian bishops' conference.

An inquiry into church sex abuse in Belgium has been running for years. "I want to express, dear brother in the Episcopate, as well as to all the Bishops of Belgium, my closeness and solidarity in this moment of sadness, in which, with certain surprising and deplorable methods, searches were carried out," Pope Benedict said.

"I hope that justice will follow its course while guaranteeing the rights of individuals and institutions, respecting the rights of victims, (and) acknowledging those who undertake to collaborate with it."

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