french: Diocèse aux Forces armées belges , image = Barré & Guimard - Eglise Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg 1.JPG , image_size = frameless , image_alt = , caption = Cathédrale Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg , country = Belgium , metropolitan = , territory = , province = Immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

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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 ...

, sui_iuris_church =

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

, rite =

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

, established = 7 September 1957 ( years ago) , cathedral = Cathédrale

Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg nl, Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenbergkerk , native_name_lang = , image = Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg during civil twilight (DSCF7448).jpg , imagesize = 250px , imagelink = , imagealt = , ...

, cocathedral = , patron = , priests = 11 , pope = , bishop_title = Archbishop , bishop = Josef De Kesel , coadjutor = , auxiliary_bishops = , vicar_general = , emeritus_bishops = , map = , map_alt = , map_caption = , website
Diocèse aux forces armées
, footnotes = The Military Ordinariate of Belgium ( nl, Bisdom bij de Krijgsmacht; french: Diocèse aux Forces armées belges) is a

military ordinariate A military ordinariate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church, of the Latin or an Eastern church, responsible for the pastoral care of Catholics serving in the armed forces of a nation. Until 1986, they were called "military v ...

of the

. Immediately exempt to the

, it provides

pastoral care Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional, social and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from rel ...

to Catholics serving in the

Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became indepen ...

and their families.

History

It was established as a military vicariate on 7 September 1957, and elevated to a military ordinariate on 21 July 1986. The Military Ordinary's

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

is located at the Co-cathedral of

Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg nl, Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenbergkerk , native_name_lang = , image = Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg during civil twilight (DSCF7448).jpg , imagesize = 250px , imagelink = , imagealt = , ...

(Sint-Jacob op de Koudenbergkerk) in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The post of Military Ordinary is vested in the

Archbishop of Mechelen In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

and Primate of Belgium.

Office holders

Flag of the Armed Forces Bishop of Belgium

Military vicars

Jozef-Ernest van Roey Jozef-Ernest van Roey (13 January 1874 – 6 August 1961) 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. He was significant fig ...

(appointed 1957 – died 6 August 1961) *

Leo Jozef Suenens Leo Jozef Suenens ( ) (16 July 1904 – 6 May 1996) was a Belgian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels from 1961 to 1979, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1962. Suenens was a leading voice at ...

(appointed 24 November 1961 – retired 1979) *

Godfried Danneels Godfried Maria Jules Danneels (4 June 1933 – 14 March 2019) was a Belgian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the chairman of the episcopal conference of his native countr ...

(appointed 15 September 1980 – became military ordinary 21 July 1986)

Military ordinaries

(appointed 21 July 1986 – retired 27 February 2010) *

André-Joseph Léonard André-Joseph Léonard (born 6 May 1940) is a Belgian prelate who served as the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and Primate of Belgium after his installation on 27 February 2010. He had previously served as Bishop of Namur from 1991 until 2010 u ...

( appointed 27 February 2010 – retired 6 November 2015) * Josef De Kesel (incumbent, appointed 6 November 2015 – )

References

Army Chaplaincy

(Catholic-Hierarchy)

(GCatholic.org) {{DEFAULTSORT:Belgium Roman Catholic dioceses in Belgium Military ordinariates