Jean-Pierre Delville (born 29 April 1951) is a Belgian prelate of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
who has been the
Bishop of Liège
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
since 2013. His earlier career was devoted to church history and teaching, which he always combined with pastoral activity. He has been associated with the Saint Egidio Community since 1978.
Biography
Early years and career
Jean-Pierre Delville was born in
Liège on 29 April 1951. He was one of four siblings born to an architect and an accountant.
He was baptized by
Louis-Joseph Kerkhofs, Bishop of Liège.
He was raised in the village of
Awans
Awans (; wa, Awan) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
On January 1, 2006, Awans had a total population of 8,696. The total area is 27.16 km² which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per k ...
and attended the
Collège Saint-Servais in Liège.
[
He earned a licentiate in history at the University of Liège and studied at the Conservatoire de Liège, earning a prize in organ performance.][ Entering the seminary in 1973,][ he graduated from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve with a degree in philosophy. He earned his bachelor's degree in theology from the ]Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as ...
and then a licentiate in biblical sciences from the Pontifical Biblical Institute
The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus.
His ...
.[ Years later, in 1996, he received a doctorate in biblical philology and a doctorate in philosophy and literature from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve.][ While studying in Rome, he looked for pastoral engagement and was drawn to the combination of contemplation and social action of the work of the Community of Saint Egidio in the slums of Rome.][ He has been associated with that Community since 1978.][
He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Liège on 6 September 1980. He was vicar of the parish of Saint-Foy from 1980 to 1981, of Saint-Martin from 1981 to 1987, and of Saint-Jacques from 1987 to 1993.][ He was professor at the Seminary of Liège from 1982 to 1995 and taught at the Institut Supérieur de Catéchèse et Pastorale de Liège from 1982 to 2002. He became first professor and then president of the Saint-Paul Seminary in Louvain. From 2002 to 2013 he taught courses in the history of Christianity at the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, where he became a professor in 2005 and full professor in 2010.][
He was first editor and then director of the '']Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own du ...
'' at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve and authored numerous articles for that journal. He was also Head of the São Paulo Foundation in Louvain-la-Neuve, president of the Institut de recherche Religions, Spiritualités, Cultures, Sociétés at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve and president of the library of the Seminary of Liège.[
From 1995 to 2013 he was animator of the Community of St. Egiidio in the diocese of Liège. He was also vicar for of the parish of Saint-Lambert.][
From 1996 to 2002 he was spokesperson for the Episcopal Conference of Belgium.][ He became a member of its commission for evangelization in 1999.][
In 2010, assessing the response to the clerical sex abuse crisis, he said that in Belgium a widely publicized unrelated case of sexual abuse and murder was "an enormous catalyst" that "had immediate repercussions within the Catholic Church" resulting in several prosecutions. He thought the scandals could produce a revitalized Church: "I think a new moral conscience is emerging and that it can allow a real purification."
]
Bishop of Liège
On 31 May 2013, Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
appointed him bishop of Liège. His appointment was a surprise in that his name was not among those mentioned as likely candidates. He had maintained a low profile even while serving as spokesperson for the national bishops conference. He said the appointment was a surprise and he had taken several days before giving his consent.[ He received his episcopal consecration on 14 July from André-Joseph Léonard, Archbishop of Mechlin-Brussels. Attendees included ]Andrea Riccardi
Andrea Riccardi (born 16 January 1950, in Rome) is an Italian historian, professor, politician and activist, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. He served as minister for international cooperation Minister without portfolio, without portfol ...
, founder of the Sant'Egidio movement.
Since 2015, he has been president of the Belgian bishops commission on the Church and the world.[
As a priest he was hesitant to reproduce the Saint Egidio model in Liège, but then as a priest and later as bishop he has supported similar activities to engage the poor, the elderly, and minority communities. Following the 29 May 2018 murder of three people by a teenager apparently inspired by radical Islamic ideology, he called for reconciliation and organized a fast-breaking meal () with local imams and representatives of mosques and Islamic cultural centers. He has formed other alliances with Muslim leaders, for example to lobby against the abolition of religious education in schools.][
In August 2018, after being robbed in his residence, he said his feelings were more those of understanding than forgiveness in that he had been confronting people whose "background is problematic".]
Select publications
* ''Vie de Sainte Julienne de Cornillon'' (Leuven, 1999)
* ''L'Europe de l'exégèse au XVIe siècle: interprétations de la parabole des ouvriers à la vigne, Matthieu 20, 1-16'' (Leuven: Peeters, 2004).
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delville, Jean-Pierre
Living people
1951 births
People from Liège
Bishops of Liège
University of Liège alumni
Université catholique de Louvain alumni
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
Academic staff of the Université catholique de Louvain