Archbishopric of Mechelen-Brussel
Encyclopedia
Mechelen-Brussels is the Roman Catholic Primatial See
in Belgium
. It is also the name of the Ecclesiastical Province
governed by the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, which covers the whole of Belgium. The current Archbishop is André-Mutien Léonard, who was installed in January 2010.
to the See's name is actually a fairly recent innovation, as part of a restructuring of the Belgian province adapting to the socio-political reality. Most of the secular province of Antwerp (except the 'arrondissement', i.e. district, of Mechelen itself) made into was one of several new dioceses, thus generally corresponding to the administrative structure of the country. The resulting archdiocese consisted of the province of Brabant
in addition to eight municipalities
in the province of Antwerp, including Bonheiden
, Duffel
, Mechelen
and Sint-Katelijne-Waver
.
The province of Brabant
was later split into three areas:
This was not followed by a new break-up into dioceses, but had actually been anticipated by the creation of three vicariates general, often with their own auxiliary bishop
, to accommodate the three regional entities.
Such a dual name is not unique, compare for example Eztergom-Budapest, but usually that is just retaining the mere name of the former seat after a de facto full move.
was traditionally rendered as Malines but nowadays usually Mechelen is maintained or changed into Mechlin, Brussel is Brussels
s: St. Rumbolds Cathedral
in Mechelen and St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral
in Brussels.
following the 1559 reorganization creating fifteen dioceses. Over time, its other suffragan provinces broke from Mechelen-Brussels' primacy. Cambrai
was already in France and its kings managed gradually to annex French Flanders, and Utrecht
and its suffragans in the Dutch republic (later kingdom) would long have their hierarchy suspended because the northern state was a champion of 'anti-papist' Calvinism.
The Napoleonic 1801 concordat re-drew the whole map again. The concordat with the kingdom of the Belgians stipulates, the country is entitled to at least one cardinal (not a crown cardinal. Rome designates all Belgian bishops freely, in practice from among the Belgian clergy), but it has become a tradition for the incumbent to be raised fairly soon to the cardinal's red, even if there is still a predecessor alive and/or a Belgian cardinal abroad, say in the Roman curia.
The Saxe-Coburg dynasty which rules Belgium is traditionally devoutly Catholic. Other faiths have generally been numerically insignificant except amongst some of the growing immigrant communities in Belgium.
Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard succeeded Cardinal Danneels in January 2010, and will likely become a Cardinal himself in the next consistory. On Tuesday, February 22, 2011, Vatican Information Service
(VIS) announced that the Holy Father, His Holiness
Pope Benedict XVI
, had appointed the Reverend Father Jean Kockerols
of the clergy of the Archdiocese, dean of Brussels-South, the Reverend Father Jean-Luc Hudsyn
, of the clergy of the Archdiocese, episcopal vicar for Brabant Wallon (Brabante Vallone), and the Reverend Father Leon Lemmens
of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hasselt
, Belgium, and an official at the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches
of the Roman Curia
, as Auxiliary Bishops-elect of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels to Archbishop Leonard. Auxiliary Bishop-elect Kockerols was born in Brecht, Belgium, in 1957, and was ordained a priest in 1993. Auxiliary Bishop-elect Hudsyn was born in Uccle, Belgium, in 1947, and was ordained a priest in 1972. Auxiliary Bishop-elect Lemmens was born in Boorsem, Belgium, in 1954, and was ordained a priest in 1977.
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It is also the name of the Ecclesiastical Province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
governed by the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, which covers the whole of Belgium. The current Archbishop is André-Mutien Léonard, who was installed in January 2010.
Dual name
The addition of BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
to the See's name is actually a fairly recent innovation, as part of a restructuring of the Belgian province adapting to the socio-political reality. Most of the secular province of Antwerp (except the 'arrondissement', i.e. district, of Mechelen itself) made into was one of several new dioceses, thus generally corresponding to the administrative structure of the country. The resulting archdiocese consisted of the province of Brabant
Province of Brabant
Brabant was a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815 until 1830 and a province of Belgium from 1830 until 1995, when it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speaking Walloon Brabant and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.-United Kingdom of the...
in addition to eight municipalities
Municipalities of Belgium
Belgium comprises 589 municipalities grouped into five provinces in each of two regions and into a third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, comprising 19 municipalities that do not belong to a province...
in the province of Antwerp, including Bonheiden
Bonheiden
Bonheiden is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Bonheiden proper and Rijmenam. On January 1, 2006 Bonheiden had a total population of 14,510...
, Duffel
Duffel
Duffel is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp.The municipality comprises only the town of Duffel proper. On January 1, 2006 Duffel had a total population of 16,019...
, Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
and Sint-Katelijne-Waver
Sint-Katelijne-Waver
Sint-Katelijne-Waver is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver and Sint-Katelijne-Waver proper. On January 1, 2006 Sint-Katelijne-Waver had a total population of 19,577...
.
The province of Brabant
Province of Brabant
Brabant was a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815 until 1830 and a province of Belgium from 1830 until 1995, when it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speaking Walloon Brabant and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.-United Kingdom of the...
was later split into three areas:
- A Dutch-speaking province Flemish BrabantFlemish BrabantFlemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
- The bilingual Brussels Capital Region
- A French-speaking province Brabant Wallon
This was not followed by a new break-up into dioceses, but had actually been anticipated by the creation of three vicariates general, often with their own auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
, to accommodate the three regional entities.
Such a dual name is not unique, compare for example Eztergom-Budapest, but usually that is just retaining the mere name of the former seat after a de facto full move.
Language issues
The Dutch name of the See is Mechelen-Brussel. In the diocese's other official language, French, it is called Malines-Bruxelles. In English, MechelenMechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
was traditionally rendered as Malines but nowadays usually Mechelen is maintained or changed into Mechlin, Brussel is Brussels
Cathedrals
The duality of the Belgian archbishopric is also reflected in the rare fact that the archbishop has two active co-cathedralCo-cathedral
A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral. Instances of this occurred in England before the Protestant Reformation in the dioceses of Bath and Wells, and of Coventry and Lichfield, hence the names of these dioceses...
s: St. Rumbolds Cathedral
St. Rumbolds Cathedral
St. Rumbold's Cathedral is the Belgian metropolitan archiepiscopal cathedral in Mechelen, dedicated to an assumedly Irish or Scottish Christian missionary and martyr who had founded an abbey nearby....
in Mechelen and St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral
St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral
The St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church at the Treurenberg hill in Brussels, Belgium. In French, it is called Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule and in Dutch Sint-Michiels- en Sint-Goedelekathedraal, usually shortened to "Sint-Goedele".In 1047, Lambert II, Count of...
in Brussels.
History
The Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels was historically primate of the whole of the Low CountriesLow Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
following the 1559 reorganization creating fifteen dioceses. Over time, its other suffragan provinces broke from Mechelen-Brussels' primacy. Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
was already in France and its kings managed gradually to annex French Flanders, and Utrecht
Utrecht (province)
Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
and its suffragans in the Dutch republic (later kingdom) would long have their hierarchy suspended because the northern state was a champion of 'anti-papist' Calvinism.
The Napoleonic 1801 concordat re-drew the whole map again. The concordat with the kingdom of the Belgians stipulates, the country is entitled to at least one cardinal (not a crown cardinal. Rome designates all Belgian bishops freely, in practice from among the Belgian clergy), but it has become a tradition for the incumbent to be raised fairly soon to the cardinal's red, even if there is still a predecessor alive and/or a Belgian cardinal abroad, say in the Roman curia.
The Saxe-Coburg dynasty which rules Belgium is traditionally devoutly Catholic. Other faiths have generally been numerically insignificant except amongst some of the growing immigrant communities in Belgium.
Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard succeeded Cardinal Danneels in January 2010, and will likely become a Cardinal himself in the next consistory. On Tuesday, February 22, 2011, Vatican Information Service
Vatican Information Service
The Vatican Information Service is an official news service of the Holy See Press Office.The service was founded in 1991, and transmits news on a daily basis at 3pm Rome time, except during the month of August and on Vatican State holidays .The service is available in four languages: English,...
(VIS) announced that the Holy Father, His Holiness
His Holiness
His Holiness is the official style or manner of address in reference to the leaders of certain religious groups. In Christianity, specifically the Orthodox Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and the Roman Catholic...
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, had appointed the Reverend Father Jean Kockerols
Jean Kockerols
Jean Kockerols is a Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop in Belgium.Kockerols was ordained a priest on September 18, 1993. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop to the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel by Pope Benedict XVI on February 22, 2011 and ordained bishop on April 3, 2011.-References:...
of the clergy of the Archdiocese, dean of Brussels-South, the Reverend Father Jean-Luc Hudsyn
Jean-Luc Hudsyn
Jean-Luc Hudsyn is a Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop in Belgium.Hudsyn was ordained a priest on June 25, 1972. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop to the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel by Pope Benedict XVI on February 22, 2011 and ordained bishop on April 3, 2011.-References:...
, of the clergy of the Archdiocese, episcopal vicar for Brabant Wallon (Brabante Vallone), and the Reverend Father Leon Lemmens
Leon Lemmens
Leon Lemmens is a Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop in Belgium.Lemmens was ordained a priest on July 10, 1977. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop to the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel by Pope Benedict XVI on February 22, 2011 and ordained bishop on April 3, 2011.-References:...
of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hasselt
Roman Catholic Diocese of Hasselt
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hasselt, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Belgium. Comprising the whole of Belgian Limburg, the diocese was created in 1967, split from the Diocese of Liège. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels...
, Belgium, and an official at the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches
Congregation for the Oriental Churches
The Congregation for the Oriental Churches is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Eastern Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical,...
of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
, as Auxiliary Bishops-elect of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels to Archbishop Leonard. Auxiliary Bishop-elect Kockerols was born in Brecht, Belgium, in 1957, and was ordained a priest in 1993. Auxiliary Bishop-elect Hudsyn was born in Uccle, Belgium, in 1947, and was ordained a priest in 1972. Auxiliary Bishop-elect Lemmens was born in Boorsem, Belgium, in 1954, and was ordained a priest in 1977.
Archbishops
- Antoine Perrenot de Granvella (1561–1582)
- Joannes Hauchin (1583–1589)
- Mathias HoviusMathias HoviusMathias Hovius , born Matthijs Van Hove, was from 1569 until 1620 the third primate of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels...
(1596–1620) - Jacobus BoonenJacobus BoonenJacobus Boonen was the fourth Archbishop of Mechelen .Boonen studied at the University of Leuven and began a legal career....
(1621–1655) - Andreas Creusen (1657–1666)
- Joannes Wachtendonck (1667–1668)
- Alphonse de BerghesAlphonse de BerghesAlphonse de Berghes was Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium. He was appointed Archbishop in 1670.-Source:*...
(1670–1689) - Humbertus Guilielmus de PrecipianoHumbertus Guilielmus de PrecipianoHumbertus Guilielmus de Precipiano was Archbishop of Mechelen in Belgium. He was appointed Archbishop on 12 July 1689. He had previously been the chief councillor for the Netherlands and Burgundy for the Habsburg monarchy.-References:...
(1690–1711) - Thomas Philip Wallrad d'Alsace-Boussut de ChimayThomas Philip Wallrad d'Alsace-Boussut de ChimayThomas Philip Wallrad d'Alsace-Boussut de Chimay , was Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium. He was ordained as a priest on 15 October 1702, and appointed Archbishop on 16 December 1715.-Source:*...
(1715–1759) - Joannes-Henricus von Franckenberg (1759–1801)
- Jean-Armand de Bessuéjouls RoquelaureJean-Armand de Bessuéjouls RoquelaureJean-Armand de Bessuéjouls Roquelaure , was Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium. He was appointed Bishop of Senlis on 17 March 1754 and resigned on 21 September 1801. He was appointed Archbishop on 9 April 1802.-Source:*...
(1802–1809) - Dominique-Georges-Frédéric Dufour de Pradt
- François Antoine Marie Constantin de Méan et de BeaurieuxFrançois Antoine Marie Constantin de Méan et de BeaurieuxFrançois Antoine Marie Constantin de Méan et de Beaurieux , was Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium. On 17 September 1785, at the age of 29, he was ordained as a priest in Liège, Belgium...
(1817–1831) - Engelbert SterckxEngelbert SterckxCardinal Engelbert Sterckx , was Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium. He was ordained as a priest on 18 February 1815, and he was appointed Archbishop on 24 February 1832....
(1832–1867) - Victor-Auguste-Isidore Dechamps (1867–1883)
- Pierre-Lambert GoosensPierre-Lambert GoosensPierre-Lambert Goossens was a Belgian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen from 1884 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1889.-Biography:...
(1884–1906) - Desiré-Félicien-François-Joseph Mercier (1906–1926)
- Jozef-Ernest van RoeyJozef-Ernest van RoeyJozef-Ernest van Roey was a Belgian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen from 1926 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1927.-Biography:...
(1926–1961) - Leo Joseph SuenensLeo Joseph SuenensLeo Jozef Suenens was a Belgian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussel from 1961 to 1979, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1962....
(1962–1980) - Godfried Danneels (19 December 1979 – 18 January 2010)
- André-Joseph LéonardAndré-Joseph LéonardAndré-Joseph Léonard is a Belgian prelate, the current archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and thus Primate of Belgium since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 January 2010. He had previously served as bishop of Namur from 1991 until 2010 as André-Mutien Léonard.- Early life :Léonard was born...
(18 January 2010 – )