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 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 provinces were administratively associa ...

of the

Catholic Church in Belgium The Catholic Church in Belgium, part of the global Catholic Church in Belgium, is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome and the Episcopal Conference of Bishops. Dioceses There are eight dioceses, including one archdioces ...

. It is a suffragan in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

of the metropolitan

Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

. The patron of the diocese is Saint

Bavo of Ghent Saint Bavo of Ghent (also known as Bavon, Allowin, Bavonius, Baaf; AD 622–659) is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint. He was the son of Pepin of Landen and the brother of saints Begga and Gertrude of Nivelles. Life Bavo was born near ...

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 i ...

had an important local administration and was the location of the Abbey of Saint Bavo, founded by Saint

Amandus Amandus ( 584 – 679), commonly called Saint Amand, was a bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht and one of the great Christian missionaries of Flanders. He is venerated as a saint, particularly in France and Belgium. Life The chief source of details ...

. 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 ) , native_name_lang = nl , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Antwerp.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van de provincie Antwerpen.svg , shield_size ...

Administration

The diocese produced some important priests and clergy like Edward Poppe. The current bishop is Abbot Lode Van Hecke who was appointed by pope Francis in 2019. The diocese is a suffragan of the

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 ...

* Livinus

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 The Bishop of Ghent is the ordinary 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 (1832-1834), did not succeed to see; appointed Bishop of Brugge * Honoré-Joseph Coppieters (1927) * Henri-Charles-Camille Lambrecht (1886-1888) *

Arthur Luysterman Arthur Luysterman (born 18 March 1932) is a Belgian Roman Catholic Bishop. He served as the twenty-ninth Bishop of Ghent between 1991 and 2003. Life Arthur Luysterman was born in Meerbeke, a village in the intensively developed countryside betw ...

(1990-1991)

Auxiliary Bishops

* Leo-Karel Jozef De Kesel (1960-1990) * Nicolas French (1668-1678) * Oscar Jozef Joliet (1948-1969) * Eugène Victor Marie van Rechem (1914-1943)

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

Lodewijk Aerts Lode Aerts (born 2 October 1959), identified also as Lodewijk Aerts, is a Belgian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Bishop of Bruges since December 2016. Biography Lode Aerts is a native of Geraardsbergen, diocese of Ghent. He attende ...

, appointed Bishop of Brugge in 2016 * Josef De Kesel, appointed auxiliary bishop of Mechelen-Brussel in 2002; future Cardinal *

Gustaaf Joos Gustaaf Joos (; 5 July 1923 – 2 November 2004) was a prelate of the Diocese of Ghent, who was elevated to the Catholic College of Cardinals on 21 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II. Biography He studied with Karol Woytyla in the Belgian Pontif ...

, appointed titular archbishop and then Cardinal in 2003 * Paul Van den Berghe, appointed Bishop of Antwerp in 1980 * François Camille Van Ronslé (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