Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels


The Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is the primatial see of the whole of Belgium. Additionally it is the centre of the local ecclesiastical province governed by the Archbishop of Mechelen–Brussels, which covers the middle of the country corresponding to the now defunct Belgian Province of Brabant and a few other municipalities adjacent to it.
The Archdiocese was formed in 1559, and the bishop has a seat in two cathedrals, St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen and the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. The current archbishop is Luc Terlinden, who was installed in September 2023.

Overview

The Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels consists of an area corresponding to the former Province of Brabant in addition to eight municipalities in the Province of Antwerp, including Bonheiden, Duffel, Mechelen and Sint-Katelijne-Waver.
In 1995, then existing Province of Brabant was split into three areas in a Belgian government reorganization:
The Church did not form new dioceses to fit with this; instead, three vicariates general were created, with their own auxiliary bishop, to accommodate the three regional entities.

Language issues

The name differs in the diocese's two languages; the Dutch name of the see is Mechelen–Brussel and in French, it is called Malines–Bruxelles.
Mechelen was traditionally called Mechlin or Malines in English, but in recent decades the modern Dutch variant has become the norm.

Cathedrals

The duality of the Belgian archbishopric is also reflected in its status with two active co-cathedrals: with St. Rumbold's in Mechelen and St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels.

Collegiate churches and chapters

Former chapters in the archdiocese.
  • Chapter of Our-Lady: Cathedral of Mechelen
  • Chapter of Saint-Peter: Leuven
  • Chapter of Saint John the Baptist: Diest
  • Chapter of Saint-Sulpicius: Diest
  • Chapter of Our-Lady: Aarschot
  • Chapter of Saint-Leonard: Zouleeuw
  • Chapter of Saint-Germanus: Tienen
  • Chapter of Saint-Michael and Gudule: Brussels Cathedral
  • Chapter of Saint-Peter: Anderlecht
  • Chapter of Our Lady and Saint-Martin: Aalst
  • Chapter of Saint-Peter: Ninove
  • Chapter of Saint-Peter: Rosmay
  • Chapter of Saint-Hermes
  • Chapter of Saint-Berland: Meerbeek
  • Chapter of Saint-Paul: Nivelles
  • Chapter of Saint-Gertrud: Nivelles

    Abbeys

In the territory of the diocese important abbeys can be found:
The Archbishop of Mechelen was historically primate of the whole of the Low Countries following the 1559 reorganisation creating fifteen dioceses. Over time, the two other ecclesiastical provinces broke from Mechelen's primacy. Cambrai was already in France and its kings managed gradually to annex southern French Flanders, and Utrecht and its suffragans in the Dutch republic would long have their hierarchy suspended because the northern state broke away to be the champion of "anti-papist" Calvinism. The Napoleonic 1801 concordat re-drew the whole map again.
The country, by tradition, has the Archbishop of Mechelen made a cardinal.
The Archdiocese of Mechelen was renamed the Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels on 8 December 1961 as part of a restructuring of the Catholic dioceses in Belgium. Two new dioceses were created. On the same day, the Diocese of Antwerp was created from areas previously administered by the Archdiocese of Mechelen. Six years later the Diocese of Hasselt was also created. This meant that the new dioceses largely corresponding to the provinces of Belgium. Most of the Catholic Church's presence in the Province of Antwerp was made into the Diocese of Antwerp.
Archbishop André-Joseph Leonard succeeded Cardinal Danneels in January 2010. On 22 February 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fr. Jean Kockerols, Fr. Jean-Luc Hudsyn, and Fr. Leon Lemmens as auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. Upon reaching 75 years Leonard tendered his resignation, which was accepted. In the autumn of 2015 Pope Francis appointed the bishop of Bruges, Jozef De Kesel, as the new archbishop, who was created Cardinal in 2016. De Kesel was succeeded on 3 September 2023 by Luc Terlinden.

Heraldry

Bishops

Ordinaries

Archbishops of Mechelen

  1. Cardinal Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle
  2. Joannes Hauchin
  3. Mathias Hovius
  4. Jacobus Boonen
  5. Andreas Creusen
  6. Joannes Wachtendonck
  7. Alphonse de Berghes
  8. Humbertus Guilielmus de Precipiano
  9. Thomas-Philippe d'Alsase
  10. Joannes-Henricus von Franckenberg
  11. Jean-Armand de Bessuéjouls Roquelaure
  12. Dominique-Georges-Frédéric Dufour de Pradt
  13. François Antoine Marie Constantin de Méan et de Beaurieux
  14. Engelbert Sterckx
  15. Victor-Auguste-Isidore Dechamps
  16. Pierre-Lambert Goosens
  17. Desiré-Félicien-François-Joseph Mercier
  18. Jozef-Ernest van Roey

    Archbishops of Mechelen-Brussels

  19. Leo Joseph Suenens, see name changed 2 weeks after 1961 appointment
  20. Godfried Danneels
  21. André-Joseph Léonard
  22. Jozef De Kesel
  23. Luc Terlinden

    Coadjutor Archbishop

  • Christoph Bartholomäus Anton Migazzi Von Waal Und Sonnenthurn, resigned, and soon appointed Bishop of Vác, Hungary; future Prince-Archbishop of Vienna and Cardinal

    Auxiliary Bishops

  • Charles André Anthonis
  • Étienne Joseph Carton de Wiart, appointed Bishop of Tournai
  • Jan De Bie
  • Luc Alfons De Hovre, S.J.
  • Josef De Kesel, appointed Bishop of Bruges; later returned here as Archbishop; future Cardinal
  • Emiel-Jozef De Smedt 1950–1952), appointed Bishop of Bruges
  • Jean-Luc Hudsyn
  • Jean Kockerols
  • Paul Lanneau
  • Louis Joseph Legraive
  • Léon Lemmens
  • Pepin de Rosa, O.P.
  • Paul Constant Schoenmaekers
  • Leo Jozef Suenens, appointed Archbishop here; future Cardinal
  • Jean-Marie Van Cauwenbergh
  • Victor-Jean-Joseph-Marie van den Branden de Reeth
  • Josephus Franciscus van der Stappen
  • Honoré Marie Van Waeyenbergh
  • Rémy Victor Vancottem, appointed Bishop of Namur
  • Koenraad Vanhoutte
  • Ghislain de Vroede
  • Antoine Alphonse de Wachter

    Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

  • Joseph-Léon Cardijn, appointed titular archbishop and Cardinal in 1965
  • Amédée Marie Léon Crooy, appointed Bishop of Tournai in 1915
  • Victor-Auguste-Isidore Dechamps, C.SS.R., appointed Bishop of Namur in 1865; later returned here as Archbishop; future Cardinal
  • Maximilien de Fürstenberg, appointed apostolic delegate and titular archbishop in 1949; future Cardinal
  • Louis-Joseph Delebecque, appointed Bishop of Ghent in 1838
  • Pierre-Lambert Goossens, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Namur in 1883; later returned here as Archbishop; future Cardinal
  • Jean Jadot, appointed apostolic delegate and titular archbishop in 1968