Lucas Van Looy
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Lucas Van Looy S.D.B. (born 28 September 1941) is a
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
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 was
Bishop of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropoli ...
from 2004 to 2019. He worked as a missionary in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
for more than a decade and held leadership positions with the
Salesians , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...
from 1984 to 2003. Although
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. ...
planned to make him a cardinal in August 2022, he agreed not to at Van Looy's request.


Biography

Van Looy was born in
Tielen Tielen is a village in the province of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium. It is part of the municipality of Kasterlee. The nearest city is the neighbouring city of Turnhout. Other neighbouring towns are Vosselaar, Lichtaart, , Lille and Gierle. Th ...
, Belgium. He studied with the
Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...
in
Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgian municipality and city located in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. In 2021, Turnhout had a total population of 45,874. The total area is . The agglomeration, ho ...
and at Don Bosco College in
Hechtel Hechtel-Eksel () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On 1 January 2018 it had a total population of 12,290 an area of 76.70 km² giving a population density of 150 inhabitants per km². The municipality was created ...
. He became a member of the
Salesians of Saint John Bosco , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turin ...
in 1961 and studied from 1962 to 1964 at their school in
Groot-Bijgaarden Groot-Bijgaarden (officially) or Grand-Bigard is a village and deelgemeente in the municipality of Dilbeek, a suburb of Brussels, in Flanders, Belgium. Toponymy The name Bijgaarden is derived from the Germanic word for enclosure. The appellation ...
. After three years in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
he studied theology at the
Catholic University of Louvain 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 ...
from 1967 to 1970, earning a licentiate in missiology. He took his final vows as a Salesian on 6 March 1968 and was ordained a priest on 12 September 1970. He worked in South Korea as a teacher from 1972 to 1974 and as chaplain of Catholic students from 1974 to 1978. He then held a series of positions in the leadership of the Salesians: provincial from 1968 to 1984, head of missions from 1984 to 1990, youth ministry head from 1990 to 1996, and Vicar General from 1996 to 2003. He was appointed Bishop of the
Diocese of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel ...
by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
on 19 December 2003, and consecrated bishop by Cardinal
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 country ...
on 1 February 2004. In 2005, he paid $25,000 to a victim of a Belgian priest but failed to notify civil authorities that the priest continued to run an orphanage in Rwanda until 2014. In 2007, Bishop Van Looy assigned another Belgian priest who had been found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor in 1994 to a new parish. When the case was reported by local media in 2010 he defended the decision. In 2010, after Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Mechelen-Brussels described AIDS as a form of justice imposed on those who have engaged in promiscuous sex, Van Looy joined those criticizing such an viewpoint. He said: "It cannot be allowed, I think, that the sick after such a statement now have to suffer even more because they have been so stigmatized." He also allowed that "stable homosexual relationships" should be possible. On 29 March 2014, Pope Francis named him a member of the
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life The Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, formerly called Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL; la, Congregatio pro Institutis Vitae Consecratae et Soci ...
. He became chair of Caritas Europe in May 2014. In July 2015 he was named to the executive board of
Caritas International Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Collectively and individually, their missions are to work to build a bet ...
by Pope Francis. After the bishops of Belgium named him an alternate delegate to the October 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family, Pope Francis included Van Looy among his own appointed delegates. He was a papal nominee to the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Youth as well. He told that Synod that the evaluation of candidates for the priesthood needed to consider the broader community's views, not just the recommendations of teachers and clerical superiors, but "also the parish priest, the catechists, the cook, the men and women who serve the community should be heard".
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. ...
accepted his retirement in December 2018, but asked him to remain as bishop until his successor was appointed. On 27 November 2019, Pope Francis accepted his resignation and named Lode Van Hecke to succeed him. On 29 May 2022,
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. ...
announced he would make him a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 27 August. Van Looy later asked that he not be made a cardinal and Pope Francis agreed. He received a cardinals ring from the pope that Van Looy describes as a personal gift without canonical effect.


References


External links


Catholic Hierarchy: Lucas Van Looy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van looy, Lucas 1941 births Living people People from Antwerp Province Bishops of Ghent Salesians of Don Bosco Roman Catholic missionaries in Korea Salesian bishops Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II