FIDIF vergadering

Op 8 april 2024 hebben de kapelaan-voorzitter, secretaris-generaal en tweede secretaris de laatste vergadering van FIDIF bijgewoond. FIDIF zit onder de voorzitterschap van Bernard DuFour namens de rooms-katholieke eredienst en mevrouw Breekveldt van de anglicaanse eredienst dient als secretaris van dit orgaan. Op de agenda stond 4 belangrijke punten: 1) verloop van de erkenning van het boeddhisme, 2) opvolging van het Vlaamse kaderwet voor de erediensten en vrijzinnigheid, 3) communicatie in aanloop van de verkiezingen in 2024 omtrent de financiering van de levensbeschouwingen, 4) gedachte wisseling over mogelijk vredesboom initiatief.

Meeting with Denis Mukwege

On 30 March, the Chaplain-President interviewed Dr Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Congolese gynecologist and campaigner against the rape of women and girls as a weapon of war in the eastern Congo. The interview was part of Jack’s academic research into Christianity in Africa with a particular focus on the Congo, which has a long, and often difficult history with Belgium. Jack, Dr. Mukwege and PhD candidate, Nathan Ngoy, had a most interesting and important conversation about the nature of religious belief in Congo, the links between traditional Congolese beliefs and Christianity, the violence of both European colonisers and African leaders in Congo, and ways in which the victims of rape can begin a process of healing with the support of medical professionals and the churches. Jack felt during this interview that he was in the presence of true human greatness.

Celebrating friendship between faiths

On Wednesday 3 April 2024, the Secretary-General was pleased to represent the Central Committee of the Anglican Church at the Great Synagogue in Brussels for a special evening celebrating the friendship between the Jewish community in Belgium and Cardinal Josef De Kezel & Archbishop Luc Terlinden.

The two Roman Catholic leaders were warmly greeted by the President of the Jewish Consistory, Philippe Markiewicz, Grand Rabbi Guigui, the members of the synagogue and invited dignitaries and guests. The speeches were particularly poignant in light of the current conflict between the state of Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as acknowledging the history of anti-semitism in the Roman Catholic and other Christian churches. However, on this evening, the focus was on: friendship, brotherhood, solidarity, democracy and peace among all faiths and convictions in order to strengthen our society and work together for a positive future where everyone can flourish.

Speeches were interspersed with musical pieces which, appropriately enough, can only be described as divine!

Coverage of the event is also available in Flemish and French.

Chrism Eucharist in Brussels

On 26 March, the Chaplain-President, Secretary-General and Second Secretary were delighted to be present at the annual Holy Week chrism eucharist held in Holy Trinity Brussels and presided by Bishop Robert. Two dozen clergy mainly from Benelux and a good handful of lay readers attended to support the bishop in his ministry and to renew their ordination and licensing vows. "Chrism" is the Greek for "anointing", and at a chrism eucharist the bishop blesses the oils which will be used in parishes during the coming year for anointing people at their baptism, ordination and during times of sickness. Bishop Robert preached a very interesting sermon on maintaining brotherly and sisterly love in the Anglican Church at a time when Anglican Christians are divided on issues of human sexuality.

The service was followed by a delicious lunch prepared by the Community Kitchen charity at Holy Trinity Brussels, which continues to prepare 5,000 meals each week for the needy and hungry in Brussels.

Goed bezig PARCUM!

Op maandag 25 maart hebben de Kapelaan-voorzitter, de Secretaris-generaal en de Twede-secretaris vergaderd met de team van Parcum in Abdij van Park, Leuven, voor een voorbereidende bijeenkomst. In het jaar van het Anglicaanse erfgoed kijken we uit naar een studiedag in oktober rond het thema materiële en immateriële erfgoed van de Anglicaanse kerk in België.

A farewell to our friend Freddy!

On 23 March, the Chaplain-President was delighted to represent the Central Committee at the event in La Chaufferie in Etterbeek to celebrate the six-year presidency of Prof Freddy Mortier of De Mens Nu, the Dutch-speaking representative body of Recognised Secularism. Freddy is a bioethicist of international renown, whose contributions to meetings of the Dialoograad, FIDIF and VILD (the formal interconvictional dialogues at federal and regional level) have always been useful and well-informed, even when the Central Committee has not followed Freddy's position (as in the cases of human euthanasia and Jewish and Muslim ritual animal slaughter). The celebration included a heart-warming speech by Freddy, some sublime Beethoven and an excellent lunch. Jack was able to present initial Anglican greetings to Freddy's successor at the helm of De Mens Nu, the former senior civil servant Raymonda Verdyck. We look forward to working with her.

Breaking the Ramadan fast at the European Parliament

On 19 March, the Chaplain-President, acting in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, participated in the iftar (the meal at which Muslims break their daily fast during the month of Ramadan) hosted by the Belgian Catholic MEP Kathleen Van Brempt in the famous Mickey Mouse café in the European Parliament. A large group of Muslims and interfaith guests were present, and the Chaplain-President was among those who made speeches stressing the common commitment of the main European religions and convictions to the three basic EU principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Thank you to the Intercultural Dialogue Platform for putting together a video of the evening!

Le prochain Forum Chrétien Francophone aura lieu à Liège !

Le 19 mars, le chapelain-président avait le plaisir de représenter les anglicans de Belgique à la réunion du comité d'organisation du prochain Forum Chrétien Francophone, qui aura lieu à Liège du 28 au 31 octobre 2024. Le Forum est censé rassembler des centaines de chrétiens de toutes les traditions pour plusieurs jours de prière et de communion amicale. Le comité fut reçu à l'évêché de Liège par Mgr Jean-Pierre Delville. La réunion était suivie d'un délicieux déjeuner.

The Chaplain-President at KU Leuven

On 15 March, the Chaplain-President attended the systematic theology and the study of religions research group at KU Leuven, where he is one of the researchers: Research Centres and Groups - Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. During the session, he spoke about his recent trip to DR Congo and the possibilities for further research on the Church and decolonisation which this trip revealed.

A Climate Fresk afternoon with the Caring for Creation Task Force

On Monday 11 of March, the Secretary-General and the Second Secretary took part in a Climate Fresk - a hands-on workshop that encourages participants to think about the causes and effects of climate change. The goal of the interactive activities is to help individuals around the world understand the systemic nature of the challenges our planet faces and to have an open and positive conversation about climate solutions.

The Fresk was held at Holy Trinity Church in Brussels and was attended by clergy from across the Diocese in Europe, Local Environmental Officers from Belgian chaplaincies, and individuals who are passionate about a sustainable relationship with the planet. The workshop was organized by the Caring for Creation Task Force (of which the Secretary-General is a member) and the activities were led by trained facilitators from the Climate Fresk movement.

Climate change is an important topic to Anglicans in Belgium. As part of the wider Anglican Communion, the Central Committee, the Diocese in Europe and the Episcopal Church adhere to the Five Marks of Mission, including, “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth”. Taking part in this Climate Fresk was an excellent opportunity to be reminded of the importance of this goal and to think creatively about ways in which each of us can act.

Are you interested in booking a Climate Fresk for your chaplaincy? Find a Belgian facilitator (French, Flemish or English-speaking) here!

CAGO inspector makes vows

On Wednesday 6 March 2024, the Vice-President of the Central Committee, the Secretary-General and the Second Secretary were pleased to attend a special service at Holy Trinity, Brussels where the Inspector-Advisor for Anglican Religious Education in Flanders, Birte Day, professed vows to a consecrated, celebate life as a member of the religious community of Wauvremont. As part of her vows to Bishop Robert Innes, Birte has taken the name ‘Sister Julian’ (of Norwich). The service was very well attended by people of many faiths, colleagues from education, and ecumenical partners. It featured prayers and music in several languages. The Central Committee wishes Sister Julian every blessing.

Focusgroepsgesprek Eredienstdecreet evaluatie

Op 1 maart 2024 hebben de secretaris-generaal en de tweede secretaris van het Centraal Comité deelgenomen van een focusgroepsgesprek samen met andere vertegenwoordigers van de erkende erediensten in Vlaanderen bij de Universiteit Antwerpen. De Vlaamse overheid heeft twee onderzoekers aangesteld om de Eredienstdecreet van 2004 te evalueren met oog op mogelijke aanpassingen voor in het heden. De onderzoekers brachten hun eerste bevindingen uit aan een kleine groep van de erediensten maar dit was nog niet een eind rapport wat in april 2024 zal verschijnen. Het was heel leerzaam voor iedereen.

The Chaplain-President in the Congo #2

The Chaplain-President continues his interviews in Kinshasa in connection with the KU Leuven project he is leading there. After a series of interviews on 27 and 28 February, on 29 February he was pleased to meet for a long discussion with Mr Joseph Mobutu Jr, one of the sons of the former president of Congo-Zaïre, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu Sese Seko. A very interesting discussion took place concerning the real President Mobutu behind the headlines, and the dignity, spiritual identity and prosperity of the Congolese people.

Le chapelain-président au Congo

Dans le cadre de son projet "theo teams" à la KU Leuven sur les relations entre le cardinal Malula et le président Mobutu dans les années 1970, le chapelain-président, aidé de son doctorant Nathan Ngoy, est de passage cette semaine et la semaine prochaine à Kinshasa pour une série d'interviews et de consultations d'archives. Nos photos montrent une consultation avec le père Freddy Ngwashi, secrétaire-général de la Commission épiscopale d'évangélisation de l'Eglise catholique en RDC.

The Chaplain-President preaches at the University of Cambridge

On Sunday 18 February, the Chaplain-President was honoured to preach the college sermon in Christ's College, University of Cambridge. The theme for this term in Christ's College Chapel is "Translation", and Jack preached in both French and English on the acute problems of understanding which arise if the Greek text of the New Testament is mis-translated into English or French. The Bishop of Huntingdon was present in the service to give the final blessing, and Jack and Bishop Dagmar had a chance to converse about current EU affairs, where Bishop Dagmar's role as Vice-President of CEC is of invaluable service to the Anglican representation.

It was a wonderful opportunity for the Chaplain-President to share about how the Anglican church in Belgium operates and to connect with fellow Anglican clergy. Jack also always enjoys the chance to visit his alma mater, where his brother, Lord Simon McDonald, is the Master of Christ’s College.

Bishop Mark visits KU Leuven

On 16 February, the Chaplain-President was delighted to welcome Bishop Mark Edington of the Convocation of Episcopal churches in Europe to Leuven, to visit the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies there. KU Leuven has the largest faculty of theology in Europe, currently ranked 5th in the world. Two Anglican priests lecture in the faculty, the Chaplain-President himself Jack McDonald and the Revd Prof Hector Patmore. Bishop Mark, Hector and Jack had a useful meeting about possible relations between KU Leuven and seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the USA.

The Archbishop of Canterbury visits Brussels

On 14 February, Bishop Robert and the Chaplain-President hosted Archbishop Justin Welby in Brussels during his one-day visit. Following his visit to Ukraine last week, the Archbishop wished to report his learnings to the European Union. Meetings took place with Margaritis Schinas (Vice-President of the European Commission), Stefano Sannino (Secretary-General of the European External Action Service), Father Manuel Prieto and Archbishop Noël Treanor (Secretary-General of the Commission of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of the EU and Papal Nuncio to the EU), Othmar Karas (Vice-President of the European Parliament), Nicola Censini (Coordinator of the Article 17 Dialogue in the European Parliament), Caroline Read (Deputy British Ambassador to the EU) and Martin Shearman and Chloe Louter (British Ambassador and Deputy British Ambassador to Belgium).

This made for a very full day for Archbishop Justin but also a very productive one, in which heartfelt and constructive views were shared about the future of Ukraine, about future relations between the EU and the UK, and about Catholic and Anglican social teaching. Many thanks to Archbishop Justin and Dr Charles Reed (his adviser for foreign affairs) for coming to visit us and for sharing such important insights.