A diocese, also known as a bishopric, is an administrative unit under the supervision of a bishop, of which there are currently 8 in the Belgian Catholic Church. The 8 dioceses are divided into 1 ecclesiastical province and 7 suffragan dioceses, but also one military ordinariate,[1] which was created as military vicariate in 1957, and elevated to a military ordinariate in 1986.[2]
Since December 1961, following the restructuring of the Catholic dioceses in Belgium, the Archdiocese of Mechelen was renamed the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. This newly created archdiocese is the primatial see of Belgium and the center of the ecclesiastical province governed by the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, which covers the whole of Belgium.[3]
There are also a few former Roman Catholic dioceses in Belgium, including the Dioceses of Eupen-Malmedy and Ypres, but also the ancient Diocese of Thérouanne. The latter was split between the Dioceses of Saint-Omer, Boulogne and Ypres after the Council of Trent's reform of sees.
In Belgium, most dioceses coincide with a province, but there are a few exceptions.
List of Roman Catholic dioceses in Belgium
Ecclesiastical Province of Mechelen-Brussels
| Diocese | Coat of arms | Territory | Cathedral[4] | Bishop (consecration)[5] | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerp | Province of Antwerp (except for 9 municipalities) | Cathedral of Our Lady (1559-1801; since 1961)[6] | Johan Bonny (2009)[7] | 1961 (restored)[8] | |
| Bruges | Province of West Flanders | St. Salvator's Cathedral (since 1834)[9] | Lodewijk Aerts (2016) | 1834 (restored)[10] | |
| Hasselt | Province of Limburg | St. Quentin's Cathedral (since 1967)[11] | Patrick Hoogmartens (2004) | 1967[12] | |
| Ghent | Province of East Flanders | St. Bavo's Cathedral (since 1559)[13] | vacant | 1559[14] | |
| Liège | Province of Liège | St. Paul's Cathedral (since 1794)[15] | Jean-Pierre Delville (2013)[16] | 4th century (Civitas Tungrorum)[17] | |
| Mechelen-Brussels | Mechelen, Brussels-Capital Region, Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant | St. Rumbold (Mechelen) (Primatial cathedral) St. Michael and Gudula (Brussels) (Co-cathedral) | Luc Terlinden (2023)[18] | 1559 | |
| Namur | Namur and Luxembourg | St Aubin's Cathedral | Fabien Lejeusne, AA (2025) | 1559 | |
| Tournai | Hainaut | Cathedral of Our Lady | Frédéric Rossignol, C.S.Sp. (2025) | 1146 |
Exempt (directly subject to the Holy See)
| Diocese | Flag | Jurisdiction | Seat | Ordinary | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military Ordinariate | Members of Belgian Armed Forces and their families | Church of St. James on Coudenberg | vested in the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels | 1957 |
References
- 1."Belgium - All Dioceses". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 2."Military Ordianariate of Bisdom bij de Krijgsmacht". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 3."Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels {Malines-Brussels}". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 4."Cathedrals". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 5."De Bisschoppenconferentie van België". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 6."De Kathedraal". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 7."Benoît XVI a nommé Mgr Johan Bonny nouvel évêque pour le diocèse d'Anvers (Belgique)". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 8."Bisdom Antwerpen". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 9."Sint-Salvatorskathedraal". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 10."Bisdom Brugge". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 11."Sint-Quintinuskerk - Sint-Quintinuskathedraal". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 12."Bisdom Hasselt". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 13."Sint-Baafskathedraal". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 14."Bisdom Gent". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 15."Cathédrale Saint-Paul de Liège". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 16."Jean-Pierre Delville, nouvel évêque de Liège: "C'est une surprise" (vidéos)". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 17."Bisdom Luik". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- 18.Decroubele, Peter (3 September 2023). "Luc Terlinden, de nieuwe aartsbisschop met een bijna onmogelijke missie". vrtnws.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 September 2023.