"Du bon voisinage dans la cité" - international conference in Brussels

On 29 November, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as professor of modern history at FUTP Bruxelles, participated in a one-day conference on the cultural and religious aspects of good-neighbourliness, organised by FUTP Bruxelles and CARES Brussels in the magnificent Hôtel communal d'Etterbeek. Jack's paper focused on the ongoing ill effects for the modern Cameroonian diaspora in Europe of French colonialism in Cameroon. Speakers from universities in Paris, Liège, Marseille, Brussels and UCLouvain followed. The day was crowned with a ceremony to award an honorary doctorate to the great French philosopher Olivier Abel (À propos - (olivierabel.fr)).

The next Chapter

On Tuesday 21 November 2023, the Secretary-General of the Central Committee participated in meetings with 3 different Chapters*. In the morning, he chaired the meeting of the Clergy Chapter for Belgium & Luxembourg in his capacity as Area Dean. In the afternoon, there was a meeting of the Chapter of Area Deans across the Diocese in Europe. Finally, there was an evening meeting of the Chapter of Canons in the Diocese in Europe. All of this is possible through online meetings and has the goal of building bridges of communication between Anglican churches across Europe.

*Like a 'chapter' in a book, which divides sections of an overall story, the word 'Chapter' is used to organise certain sections of the overall ministry of the Anglican church.

Visit from Lambeth Palace

On 16 November, the Chaplain-President, acting in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, was delighted to meet Dr Charles Reed, the Adviser for International Affairs at Lambeth Palace, who was spending several days in Brussels. Many constructive views about the role of the Anglican Church in the EU were exchanged over the sublime Greek coffee in the Café Papillon next to the European Council.

Article 17 Dialogue in the European Parliament

On 15 November, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, participated in the Article 17 dialogue on AI held in the library of the European Parliament. The growth of artificial intelligence poses huge questions for truth, honesty and factual accuracy in public life, for human employment and for the boundary of human and artificial control and action. A vigorous debate took place about the role of the EU as a body based on human rights, the rule of law and democracy in regulating the use of AI.

Fête du Roi / Koningsdag

On 15 November, the Chaplain-President had the privilege of representing the Anglicans of Belgium at the King's Day celebrations, first at the Te Deum in the Catholic cathedral in Brussels (at which Mgr Luc Terlinden preached), then at a series of speeches in the House of Representatives in Parliament. The speeches were given by the Presidents of the House of Representatives and the Senate and by the Prime Minister. King Albert and Queen Paola represented HM the King and HM the Queen. A particularly lovely and moving aspect of the celebrations was an exhibition of paintings on the Belgian monarchy painted by children who attend schools for children with learning difficulties: by far the loudest applause was reserved for these children when they were introduced to the House of Representatives.

Refugee support in Calais

On 13 and 14 November, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, welcomed Mr Bradon Muilenburg to Brussels. Bradon is the Diocese in Europe's new Refugee Support Lead in Calais, in a project jointly supported by the Diocese in Europe, the Diocese of Canterbury and the historic Anglican missionary charity USPG: Anglican Refugee Support Lead appointed in Calais | Diocese in Europe. Jack showed Bradon round the European Quarter in Brussels and they both met Dr Torsten Moritz, General Secretary of CCME and a key person for Jack's work in the EU: Home - Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe % (ccme.eu).

Welcome to Belgium!

On Saturday 11 November 2023, the Second Secretary, together with volunteers from St. Martha and St. Mary’s Anglican Church in Leuven and the Sant’Egidio community in Leuven, was at Zaventem airport to welcome seven Syrian families arriving in Belgium from Lebanon.

Sant’Egidio prepared a warm welcome at the airport for the 29 people who emigrated to Belgium, with speeches, flowers and refreshments. Some of new arrivals already had family members in Belgium and it was very moving to see them reunited after years of being apart.

This is the third time that the Anglican Church in Belgium is taking part in Sant’Egidio’s Humanitarian Corridors project and welcomes a family from Syria. It is also the second time for the local church in Leuven. This time, they are hosting a family of four: Osama and Dima, with their son Ali (5) and their daughter Selena (3). The parents are eager to see the children start attending Belgian schools, and they themselves are looking forward to learning Dutch and hope to soon be able to put their degrees to use.

We are very thankful for the group of volunteers from various local faith communities who will offer Osama and Dima practical support as they adjust to life in a completely new context, and help guide them through the asylum-seeking and integration process. We are also grateful to all the chaplaincies in Belgium who have contributed to this project and made it possible!

Stepping out into the unknown and leaving everything familiar behind is never easy. We hope that Osama, Dima, Ali and Selena feel welcomed and safe here. We are honoured to journey alongside this family, and we wish them all the best as they settle into their new lives.

Commemorating the Armistice in Namur

On 12 November, the Chaplain-President represented the Anglicans of Belgium at an Armistice Commemoration in the Cimetière de Belgrade in Namur, led by his colleague in FUTP Bruxelles, Prof Jean-François Husson, a noted expert on the close relations between Namur and the British and Irish armed forces. The Chaplain-President gave a speech, along with Eliane Tillieux (Speaker of the Belgian Parliament), Maxime Prévot (Mayor of Namur), Alain Gendron (Canadian Ambassador to Belgium), Kevin Conmy (Irish Ambassador to Belgium), and high representatives of the Belgian and British armies. The Chaplain-President, accompanied by two chaplains of the Belgian military Service d'Assistance Religieuse et Morale, was privileged to lay flowers at the tomb of Padre RM Henderson of the British Royal Army Chaplains' Department, who died of Spanish flu in Namur in 1919. The Cimetière de Belgrade is a remarkable resting place for Belgian, French, Italian, Commonwealth (British, Irish, Canadian, Indian, Australian, New Zealand) and Soviet troops who died in action near Namur in both World Wars. It encapsulates Belgium's and Europe's blood-soaked history, to which the Central Committee responds with service and hope for the future of the Belgian people.

105th Armistice Day in Ieper

The Secretary-General was honoured to pray during the commemoration ceremonies at the Menin Gate in Ieper (Ypres) on Armistice Day, 11 November 2023. A poem was also offered by the Secular Humanist consultant and a prayer was done by the Protestant Pastor, Christian Bultinck. Currently, the chaplaincy is in vacancy, so the Secretary-General was pleased to be able to take part, as well as preach and lead the service at St. George’s Memorial Church prior to the ceremony at the Menin Gate.

The service in the church was well attended in a way that had not been seen since before the pandemic.

Due to renovations on the Menin Gate, the outdoor ceremony took place next to the Gate or the first time. After weeks of rain and flooding in certain parts of West Flanders, the proceedings took place under glorious sunshine.

At the ceremony, Prime Minister De Croo, Minister Diependaele, 9 ambassadors and many members of the public laid wreaths in tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom that Belgium now enjoys. The current conflicts in Ukraine and Israel & Gaza were at the forefront of our thoughts.

Meeting of Humanitarian Corridors Taskforce

On Thursday November 26, the Secretary General and the Second Secretary attended a meeting of the Humanitarian Corridors' Taskforce at the Community of Sant’Egidio’s headquarters in Brussels, along with representatives from the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches.
They received an update from Prof. Dr. Jan De Volder about the situation of refugees in both Lebanon and Pakistan, and he highlighted the need for more communities in Belgium that are willing to welcome and sponsor families and support their integration into Belgian society.

Since 2019, the Anglican Church in Belgium has already welcomed several families through the Humanitarian Corridors scheme and hopes to continue partnering with Sant’Egidio in the coming years to offer safe refuge to families fleeing life-threatening situations.

Vergadering met de Vlaamse overheid

Op 27 oktober heeft de kapelaan-voorzitter vergaderd op zoom samen met vertegenwoordigers van de andere levensbeschouwingen en de Vlaamse overheid. De discussie ging over de financiering van de erkende levensbeschouwingen in Vlaanderen, de erkenning van nieuwe parochies en de werkingskosten van de representatieve organen waaronder ook het Centraal Comité van de Anglicaanse Eredienst in België. We zullen in de eerste week van november weer eens samenkomen om dit alles verder te bespreken.

A day in the life, a life in the day, of the Chaplain-President

On 25 October, the Chaplain-President attended the morning session of Emouna Belgique (Home | Emouna (emounabelgium.be)) held at the Grande-Mosquée de Bruxelles: this year, there are three Anglican Emouna students: Philip Milton from Holy Trinity Brussels and Balthazar Nahimana and Marie-Rose Rwisasu from Saint-Esprit Mons. Meeting at the Great Mosque was especially important in the context of the ongoing and dreadful conflict in Israel and Palestine. The Chaplain-President then had lunch at the Haus der EKD Brüssel, the representation of the German Protestant Church to the EU, where a round table involved Dr Patrick Schnabel (senior counsel for the EKD), Baron Frans van Daele (EU special envoy for freedom of religion and belief) and Dr Elizabeta Kitanovic (FPTR Brussel) speaking on human rights. He then attended the editorial board of the peer-review journal Analecta Bruxellensia: International Studies in Religion. He then spent an hour in the office with the Secretary-General and the Second Secretary. He then attended the inaugural lecture by Prof Carol Harrison FBA of Oxford University as KU Leuven's Francqui professor this year, speaking on Augustine, sound and sense, and also spoke with two Anglican priest colleagues, Prof Hector Patmore and Canon Alan Strange, at the reception afterwards. He then attended the KU Leuven Current Events lecture on the current crisis in the eastern Congo, in connection with his current KU Leuven Theo Teams project on the DRC, with a round table including Professors Kanigula Mubagwa, Godefroid Muzalia Kihangu and Nathalie Vumilia Nakabanda of the Université Catholique de Bukavu. Please let no one reading this blog think that being an Anglican priest is boring. There is important representational, pastoral and academic work to be done and the Central Committee exists to enable this work to happen and to flourish in Belgium.

M. Eric Ghysselinckx and his team visit the Central Committee

On 23 October, the Chaplain-President, Vice-President, Secretary-General and Second Secretary, helped by several members of staff at Holy Trinity Brussels, received M. Eric Ghysselinckx and five members of his staff, for a sumptuous High Tea in Holy Trinity Brussels. 

M. Ghysselinckx has been the chef du Service des cultes reconnus et des convictions reconnues at the Ministry of Justice for several decades and a valuable partner for the Anglican Church in Belgium.

The bitter-sweet occasion was M. Ghysselinckx's forthcoming retirement on 31 October. The sandwiches and cakes were all home-made as well as delicious. The Second Secretary, Vice-President, Chaplain-President and M. Ghysselinckx himself gave speeches. 

The Secretary-General had obtained homemade jam from a parishioner at St John's Gent, a jar each for all of the Ministry of Justice staff present. A short tour of Holy Trinity pro-cathedral followed, as well as a question-and-answer session about the future directions of Belgian Anglicanism. 

It was such a joy for the Central Committee, so often received at the Ministry of Justice, to be able to offer hospitality to the civil service team we meet so often there, and we hope that all present learned a bit more about how the recognised convictions in Belgium operate and what we offer to Belgian society.

Verklaring van het Centraal Comité van de Anglicaanse Eredienst in België naar aanleiding van de terreuraanslagen in Brussel op 16 oktober 2023

Haat heeft geen plaats in onze wereld. Terreur en daden van geweld zijn nooit een geldige uiting van het geloof of een overtuiging. Extremisme is helemaal onaanvaardbaar in een pluralistische samenleving zoals België.

Het was dan ook met verdriet dat we zagen hoe het vredige leven dat we normaal gesproken in België genieten, in de nacht van 16 oktober 2023 door gruwelijke gewelddaden werd onderbroken door een terreurdaad.

Het Centraal Comité van de Anglicaanse Eredienst in België veroordeelt al dergelijke gewelddaden, zowel in België als in het buitenland.

Het Centraal Comité bidt voor de families en vrienden van de slachtoffers. Wij delen hun schok en verdriet dat een gebeurtenis als een internationale voetbalwedstrijd, die bedoeld is voor vreugde en vriendschap, uitmondde in deze tragedie.

Het Centraal Comité stelt nadrukkelijk dat de dader van deze kwaadaardige daad niet de overgrote meerderheid van de trouwe en vreedzame moslims in België vertegenwoordigt. Wij waarderen hun bijdrage aan onze samenleving en zullen met hen blijven samenwerken op gemeentelijk, regionaal en federaal niveau, net als bij de andere erkende levensbeschouwingen.

Het Centraal Comité wil een actieve partner zijn, samen met alle overheden en alle gelovige en niet- gelovige mensen, om dergelijke aanvallen in de toekomst te voorkomen en een vreedzame, veilige samenleving te garanderen voor ieders voordeel en welzijn.

Déclaration du Comité central du Culte anglican en Belgique suite à l’attentat terroriste survenu à Bruxelles le 16 octobre 2023

La haine n'a pas de place dans notre monde. Les actes de terreur et de violence ne constituent jamais une expression valable de la foi ou des convictions d’une personne. L’extrémisme est totalement inacceptable dans une société pluraliste comme celle de la Belgique.

C’est donc avec une immense tristesse que nous avons vu la vie paisible dont nous jouissons habituellement en Belgique interrompue par d’odieux actes de terreur et de violence dans la nuit du 16 octobre 2023.

Le Comité central du Culte Anglican en Belgique condamne tous ces actes, tant en Belgique qu'à l'étranger. Le Comité central prie pour les familles et les amis endeuillés des victimes. Nous partageons leur choc et leur tristesse lorsqu'un événement tel qu'un match international de football, destiné à la joie et à l'amitié, se transforme en une tragédie.

Le Comité central affirme sans équivoque que l'auteur de cet acte maléfique ne représente pas la grande majorité des musulmans fidèles et pacifiques qui habitent en Belgique. Nous apprécions leur contribution à notre société et continuerons à travailler avec eux aux niveaux municipal, régional et fédéral, tout comme avec les autres convictions reconnues.

Le Comité central s'engage à être un partenaire actif, aux côtés de tous les gouvernements et de toutes les personnes croyantes et non-croyantes, pour empêcher de telles attaques à l'avenir et pour garantir une société pacifique et sécurisée en vue du bien-être de tous.

Statement from the Central Committee of the Anglican Church in Belgium following terror attacks in Brussels on 16 October 2023

Hate has no place in our world. Acts of terror and violence are never a valid expression of one’s faith or conviction. Extremism is completely unacceptable in a pluralistic society such as Belgium

It was therefore with sadness that we saw the peaceful lives we normally enjoy in Belgium ripped apart by heinous acts of terror and violence on the night of 16 October 2023.

The Central Committee of the Anglican Church in Belgium condemns all such acts of violence both in Belgium and abroad.

The Central Committee prays for the families and friends of the victims in their grief. We share their shock and sorrow that an event such as an international football match, which is intended for joy and friendship, turned into this tragedy.

The Central Committee states unequivocally that the perpetrator of this act of evil does not represent the vast majority of faithful and peaceful Muslims in Belgium. We value their contribution to our society and will continue to work together with them at municipal, regional and federal level, as with the other recognized convictions.

The Central Committee is committed to being an active partner, along with all levels of government, and all people of faith and no faith, to prevent such attacks in the future and to ensure a peaceful, safe and secure society for the benefit and welfare of all.

Het Centraal Comité bij Vild

Op vrijdag 13 oktober namen de Kapelaan Vorzitter, de secretaris-generaal en de tweede secretaris deel aan de bijeenkomst van de Vlaamse Interlevensbeschouwelijke Dialoog (VILD) in de Grote Synonagoge van Brussel.

Op de agenda stonden een presentatie door Prof. Patrick Loobuyck over een onderzoeksproject uitgevoerd door de Universiteit Antwerpen naar ' ervaringen bij verandering of afstand van religie of levensbeschouwing' en een update over de stand van zaken betreft het dossier spirituele zorgverleners door mevrouw Kristien Henderickx.

Maitre Philippe Markiewicz sprak ook ontroerend over de noodzaak van vrede tussen joden en moslims, inderdaad onder alle levensgbeschouwingen in België, vooral in het licht van het conflict tussen Hamas en Israël.


Emouna Belgique

On 11 October, the Chaplain-President was delighted to speak at the afternoon session of the first day of Emouna Belgique 2023-24, held at the Club Prince Albert in Brussels (Home | Emouna (emounabelgium.be)). Past Anglican Emouniens include our prison chaplains Eric Sibomana, the Revd Charles Kabera, Egbert van Groesen and Grace West, and our inspecteur-adviseur Anglicaans Godsdienstonderwijs Sister Julian. This year, Balthazar Nahimana from All Saints' Waterloo and Philip Milton from Holy Trinity Brussels are our Anglican Emouna students, and we wish them all good things during this exciting year of interconvictional training.