Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges

The Diocese of Bruges, (Bisdom Brugge in native Dutch) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, which covers all of Belgium.

Diocese of Bruges

Dioecesis Brugensis

Bisdom Brugge (Dutch)
Diocèse de Bruges (French)
Bistum Brügge (German)
St. Salvator's Cathedral in Bruges
Location
CountryBelgium
Ecclesiastical provinceMechelen-Brussels
MetropolitanArchdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels
Statistics
Area3,145 km2 (1,214 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics (including non-members)		(as of 2018)
1,190,193
841,900 (70.7%)
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established12 May 1559
CathedralSt. Salvator's Cathedral in Bruges
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
BishopLodewijk Aerts
Metropolitan ArchbishopJozef De Kesel
Bishops emeritusRoger Vangheluwe
Map

The diocese of Bruges, coextensive with the province of West Flanders
Website
https://www.kerknet.be/organisatie/bisdom-brugge

Previously a diocese from 1558 to its suppression in 1801 during the Napoleonic and Dutch era, it was restored in 1834 a pre-diocesan stage as an apostolic vicariate in 1832.[1] Its territory coincides with West Flanders.

Its cathedral is the Sint-Salvator Cathedral, dedicated to Our Savior, in Bruges (Brugge), West Flanders province, a minor basilica. Its patron saint however is Saint Donatian, hence the cathedral is also known as Sint-Salvators- en Donaaskathedraal after both saints.

Statistics

As of 2014, it pastorally served 965,000 Catholics (82.1% of 1,174,752 total) on 3,145 km² in 362 parishes and 65 missions with 708 priests (499 diocesan, 209 religious), 91 deacons, 1,986 lay religious (290 brothers, 1,696 sisters) and 7 seminarians.

History

An earlier diocese of Bruges was established on 12 May 1558, on territory split off from the Diocese of Tournai, as part of the great Habsburg reform of the church in the then Spanish Low Countries. Its cathedral see, St. Donatian's Cathedral, was destroyed in a fire in 1799 during the aftermath of the French Revolution.

During the Napoleonic Concordate-period reforms, it was suppressed on 1801.07.15 and its territory merged into the Diocese of Ghent (Gent).

On 17 December 1832, shortly after the independence of Belgium, it was restored as (pre-diocesan) Apostolic Administration of West Flanders ('West-Vlaanderen', the name of the Belgian province it coincides with, as most Belgian bishoprics), regaining its territory from Ghent. On 27 May 1834, this was promoted to Diocese again and renamed after its see, Brugge, while the incumbent Apostolic Administrator was promoted Suffragan Bishop. On 31 May 1967 it lost a bit of territory to the Ancient Diocese of Tournai, shortly after a reshuffle of province borders involving a few municipalities, notably Moeskroen being transferred to Hainaut (which Tournai bishopric covers).

In 1985 the diocese enjoyed a papal visit from Pope John Paul II, who on 17 May gave a homily on the horrors of war at Ypres as part of his pastoral visit to the Low Countries.[2]

A pederasty scandal saw its self-confessed, hardly remorseful bishop Roger Vangheluwe forced into 'early emeritate', traumatizing the entire Belgian church.

Ordinaries
Franciscus-Renatus Boussen, eighteenth bishop of Brugge
Lode Aerts, bishop as of 2016
Suffragan Bishops (first diocese)
Apostolic Administrator of West Flanders
Suffragan Bishops (present diocese)

Notes
  1. "Diocese of Brugge {Bruges}". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  2. "17 maggio 1985, Solenne Celebrazione a Ieper | Giovanni Paolo II". w2.vatican.va.

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