On 15th December, the Chaplain-President and the Secretary had a Zoom meeting with Julie Aerts and Jonas Danckers from Parcum and Prof Maarten Larmuseau from KU Leuven to give an Anglican input into the Memor project, which aims to aid archaeological excavations in Flanders involving human remains with accurate advice from the Recognised Religions and Life Philosophies about the responsible and dignified handling of such remains.
World Council of Churches: "Common Formation and the Future of Interfaith Dialogue"
On 7th December, the Chaplain-President spoke by Zoom at an interfaith conference organised by the World Council of Churches in Geneva on the role of shared training and formation in the future of interfaith dialogue. He used Emouna Belgique / Emoena België as a practical working example of how Christian clergy, Jewish rabbis, Muslim imams, Buddhist officiants and Secularist officiants can learn practical skills together for the effective exercise of their ministries, without compromising in any way their own faith position.
100th Anniversary of the Malines Conversations #2
On 6th December, a series of centenary celebrations took place in York Minster (https://yorkminster.org/). Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams gave an address, to which Mgr Jean Kockerols, Auxiliary Bishop in Mechelen-Brussel, replied. Live video-greetings took place between York Minster and the Sint-Romboutskathedraal in Mechelen, after which a live-streamed Choral Evensong was sung in the Minster, at which The Most Revd and Rt Hon. Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, preached the sermon. A programme of the celebration may be read here. We look forward to the end of Covid restrictions, which will enable even fuller celebrations of the Malines Conversations, which have influenced so many subsequent Christian ecumenical endeavours, to occur.
100th Anniversary of the Malines Conversations #1
On 4th December, the Commission nationale catholique pour l'oecuménisme / Katholieke Nationale Commissie voor Oecumene (https://oikoumene.be/) organised its annual day-conference online because of the emergency pandemic measures, on the theme of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Malines Conversations of 1921-1925. Further substantial commemorations of these remarkable ecumenical conversations will take place when the pandemic recedes (https://www.malinesconversations.org/). The highlight of the day-conference was a fascinating paper by Lord Williams (https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/fellows/rowan-williams-oystermouth-FBA/) on the history and results of the Malines Conversations. Further papers followed from Metropolitan Athenagoras Peckstadt (Orthodox Church), Pastor Priscille Djomhoué (United Protestant Church) and Canon Adelbert Denaux (Roman Catholic Church).
New Corona rules starting on 4th December
The evolving situation with the spread of the Omicron Corona variant necessitated a meeting of the Concertation Committee of the Belgian governments on 3rd December. The Central Committee's Explanatory Document 7, which gives a summary of the new measures now required in places of worship, may be read here.
New Flemish law concerning faith communities
On 16th November, a new law of the Flemish Region to replace the 2004 law came into effect concerning faith communities, including Anglican parishes. The Central Committee, via the Vlaamse Interlevensbeschouwelijke Dialoog on which we sit, has had sustained and positive input into this legislative process. The decree may be read here. A summary from the Central Committee which explains the new law for Anglican parishes in Flanders may be read here. The new law requires our parishes not to accept foreign influence or finance which might undermine our independence, to uphold the Belgian Constitution and to oppose terrorism, and to ensure that our clergy integrate properly into Flemish society. The Central Committee affirms the productive relationship which our parishes have always enjoyed with Flemish society and heartily wishes to deepen these links, as our parishes continue to serve the communities in which they are placed.
Students learn about Anglicanism
On 26th November, a group of students at the Protestant faculties in Brussels (FUTP-FPTR), coming from Belgium, the Netherlands, Cameroun, Kenya and Burkina Faso, visited Holy Trinity Brussels to learn more about the Anglican tradition. They were hosted by the Chaplain-President, who gave a tour of the church building before leading a question-and-answer session in Church House.
Military chaplaincy in Belgium
On 29th November, General Erwin Dhondt and Chaplain-in-Chief Jean-Louis Cornez hosted the Chaplain-President and the two presidents of the Protestant and Evangelical Churches in Belgium at a lunch at the Club Prince Albert in Brussels to share information about chaplaincy in the Belgian Armed Forces.
New Corona Measures
The rapid progression of the virus in Belgium has necessitated a further meeting of the Concertation Committee of Belgian governments today and further deployment of emergency measures. A summary of how these affect Anglican parishes, the Central Committee's Explanatory Document 6, may be read here.
Central Committee hosts the VILD
On 26th November, the Central Committee hosted the Vlaamse Interlevensbeschouwelijke Dialoog (the official contact between the Flemish government and the recognised faiths), but because of the ongoing pandemic this was done online. The Chaplain-President chaired the meeting. On the agenda were several important dossiers for the various lifestances.
New Corona measures
Following further increases in infections, hospitalisations and deaths, the Concertation Committee of the governments in Belgium which met on 17th November has handed down new instructions about necessary sanitary measures in places of worship, starting on 20th November. The Central Committee's Explanatory Document 5 is here, which contains a link to the relevant Royal Decree. We continue to face the pandemic with resolve, encouraging universal take-up of the Covid vaccination and continuing our parish life in faith and hope.
Group from Cameroun discusses the situation for LGBTQIA+ people
On 16th November, the Chaplain-President (in his capacity as Professor in the French-speaking Protestant Faculty) participated in a round-table led by four representatives of HFC+, an assocation offering help and advice about HIV/Aids and seeking to defend the rights of vulnerable groups in Cameroun. The Chaplain-President is the LLF advocate for the Diocese in Europe where the Anglican conversation about identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage can risk neglecting non-English-speaking voices. It was therefore important for him to hear first-hand accounts of experiences of persecution and exclusion in a French-speaking African context. Our picture shows the Chaplain-President with M. Jean-Paul Enama and his team from HFC+.
Koningsdag/La Fête du Roi
On 15th November, the Chaplain-President represented the Anglican community in Belgium at the celebration of King's Day in the presence of T.M. King Albert II and Queen Paola, first at the Te Deum in the Roman Catholic cathedral in Brussels, presided by Mgr Jean Kockerols, then at an Academic Session of Parliament, chaired by Eliane Tillieux (President of the Chamber of Representatives) and Stephanie D'Hose (President of the Senate). The session concerned the role of women in Belgian public life, so it was a special pleasure that for the first time the Presidents of the Chamber of Representatives and of the Senate are both women.
New Corona Measures
On 29th October and on 1st November new stricter Corona measures became law for the whole of Belgium. There are however still some regional differences which are explained in our ED4.
Masks are back for the duration of the service (minus a few exceptions) and the Corona Safe Ticket should be used for events and larger get-togethers.
All Saints' Waterloo
On 30th October, the Chaplain-President met for the first time - because of the Covid pandemic - Mgr Mark Edington, Bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe (http://www.tec-europe.org/convocation/who-we-are/our-bishop-the-rt-rev-mark-dw-edington/).
There are 41 independent provinces in the global Anglican Communion (https://www.anglicancommunion.org/structures/member-churches.aspx) and two of them, the Church of England and The Episcopal Church, are represented in Belgium. It is the Central Committee's pleasure to work together with Bishop Robert of the CofE and Bishop Mark of TEC. Our photo shows (left to right): the Revd Sunny Hallanan (Rector of All Saints' Waterloo), Bishop Mark and the Chaplain-President.
COP-26 letters
From 31st October-12th November the UN will hold its COP-26 Climate conference in Glasgow (Scotland). To encourage the Belgian delegates attending the conference to support drastic measures to combat climate change, the Anglican, Evangelical and Protestant churches and the secular humanists have jointly sent a letter to the Federal Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne, and the Flemish Minister for Environment, Zuhal Demir. The initiative for these letters came from a climate working group at HTB.
Conseil de Dialogue / Dialoograad
On 25th October, the formal dialogue between the Federal Government and the Recognised Religions and Laïcité/Vrijzinnigheid met by Zoom, chaired by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and with Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne in attendance. The Chaplain-President represented the Central Committee. Among other subjects, the ongoing Covid pandemic was discussed.
New Bible Translation in NL
On 23rd October, the Vice-President and Secretary travelled to picturesque Mechelen, to the stunning Begijnhofkerk (beguinage), for the official presentation of the revision of the new Bible translation in NL (NBV21): a translation for and of the 21st century. It concludes a 30-year project which is inter-faith, inter-disciplinary and spans both Flanders and the Netherlands.
More information can be found at Het Nederlands-Vlaams Bijbelgenootschap - De Bijbel voor iedereen
Prison chaplains' training day
Our Anglican prison chaplains team is delighted to participate in the training sessions organised by our friends the Protestants and Evangelicals. On 23rd October, the whole team met at the Christian Center in Sint-Genesius-Rode for a day-training which began with sessions of mutual sharing and continued after lunch with discussion of the psychology of imprisonment. Our photo shows the stipendiary team: (left to right) Eric Sibomana, Egbert van Groesen, Grace West, the Revd Charles Kabera and the Chaplain-President.
Archdeaconry Synod NW Europe
From 7th to 9th October, the members and observers of the Central Committee attended in person or by Zoom the annual synod of the Church of England archdeaconry in Benelux, held in Drongen (Gent). The principal items for discussion and debate were the ongoing and accelerating global climate crisis and the ongoing problem in the Anglican Church of overt and covert racism.
