The Diocese of Ghent (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a

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 ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The patron of the diocese is Saint Bavo of Ghent.

History

The diocese was erected in 1559 by papal bull ''Super universitas'' to become independent of the Diocese of Tournai.

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

had an important local administration and was the location of the Abbey of Saint Bavo, founded by Saint Amandus. However, this abbey was suppressed and the canons were removed, moving to the collegiate church of Saint John, and it changed its name to Saint Bavo. This collegiate church became the see of the current diocese. The diocese was created from the surrounding dioceses in Belgium.

Territorial structure

Originally, the diocese was much larger and contained the city of

Hulst Hulst () is a municipality and city in southwestern Netherlands in the east of Zeelandic Flanders. History Hulst received city rights in the 12th century. Hulst was captured from the Spanish in 1591 by Maurice of Orange but was recaptured b ...

. Currently, the diocese is coextensive with the Belgian province of

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

, in addition to the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Zwijndrecht, which is in the secular Province of Antwerp.

Administration

The diocese produced some important priests and clergy like

Edward Poppe Edward Poppe (18 December 1890 – 10 June 1924) was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest who advocated for the frequent reception of the sacraments and established a children's league dedicated to the Eucharist; he was a strong critic of Marxism and ...

. The current bishop is Abbot

Lode Van Hecke Lode Van Hecke OCSO (born 16 March 1950) is a Belgian Catholic prelate who serves as Bishop of Ghent. He was previously abbot of Orval Abbey from 2007 to November 2019. A monk since 1976, he is the only Trappist ever to be appointed bishop of ...

who was appointed by pope Francis in 2019. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.

Saints

Pharaildis Saint Pharaildis or Pharailde ( nl, Veerle) is an 8th-century Belgian saint in Roman Catholicism, and patron saint of Ghent. Her dates are imprecise, but she lived to a great age and died on January 5 at ninety.Engelbert, Omer. ''The Lives of th ...

* Bavo of Ghent *

Livinus Saint Livinus (''c''. 580 – 12 November 657), also Livinus of Ghent, was an apostle in Flanders and Brabant, venerated as a saint and martyr in Catholic tradition and more especially at the Saint Bavo Chapel, Ghent. His feast day is 12 Novemb ...

Ordinaries

File:Etienne Fallot de Beaumont, 18de bisschop van Gent.jpg, Stefaan-Andreas de Paula Fallot de Beaumont File:Hendrik Frans Bracq, 22ste bisschop van Gent.jpg,

Henricus Franciscus Bracq Henricus Franciscus Bracq (1804–1888) was the 22nd bishop of Ghent, Belgium. Life Bracq was born in Ghent on 26 February 1804. He was ordained to the priesthood on 2 August 1827. From 1830 to 1864 he taught Sacred Scripture at the Major Semina ...

The Bishop of Ghent is the

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (Every Little Thing album) (2011) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016) * "Ordinary" (Wayne Brady song) (2008) * ...

of the Diocese of Ghent. List of the bishops of the Diocese of Ghent, Belgium

Other affiliated bishops

Coadjutor Bishops

* Gustavo Leonardo de Battice (1877-1885), did not succeed to see *

Franciscus Renatus Boussen Franciscus is a Latin given name, originally an epithet meaning "the Franks, Frank, the Frenchman". It was applied to Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226). Francis had been baptized Giovanni (John); his father was Duchy of Spoleto, Italia ...

(1832-1834), did not succeed to see; appointed Bishop of Brugge * Honoré-Joseph Coppieters (1927) * Henri-Charles-Camille Lambrecht (1886-1888) * Arthur Luysterman (1990-1991)

Auxiliary Bishops

* Leo-Karel Jozef De Kesel (1960-1990) *

Nicolas French Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–17 ...

(1668-1678) * Oscar Jozef Joliet (1948-1969) * Eugène Victor Marie van Rechem (1914-1943)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Lodewijk Aerts, appointed Bishop of Brugge in 2016 *

Josef De Kesel Jozef De Kesel (born 17 June 1947) is a Belgian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since 2016 and Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels since 2015. He served as Bishop of Bruges from 2010 to 2015. Early life De Kesel was bor ...

, appointed auxiliary bishop of Mechelen-Brussel in 2002; future Cardinal * Gustaaf Joos, appointed titular archbishop and then Cardinal in 2003 *

Paul Van den Berghe Paul Van den Berghe (born 7 January 1933 in Geraardsbergen, Belgium) is a Belgium Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. Biography Van den Berghe obtained a degree in Thomist philosophy and was ordained a priest on 15 June 1957. He then earned a do ...

, appointed Bishop of Antwerp in 1980 *

François Camille Van Ronslé François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King o ...

(priest here 1886-1889), appointed Vicar Apostolic of Belgian Congo Indipendente, Congo (Dem. Rep.)in 1896

References

External links

Diocese of Ghent on Gcatholic.com
{{Authority control

1559 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire