| André-Joseph Léonard | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Archdiocese | Mechelen-Brussels |
| Diocese | Mechelen-Brussels |
| See | St. Rumbold's Cathedral, St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral |
| Enthroned | 27 February 2010 (2 years, 16 days) |
| Predecessor | Godfried Danneels |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Other posts | Primate of Belgium |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 19 July 1964 |
| Consecration | 14 April 1991 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | André Léonard |
| Born | 6 May 1940 Jambes |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | Philosopher, theologian |
| Alma mater | Université catholique de Louvain |
| Motto | Oh oui, viens, Seigneur Jésus! Apocalypse 22:17-20 [1] |
| Signature | |
André-Joseph Léonard (born André Léonard, 6 May 1940) is a Belgian prelate, the current archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and thus Primate of Belgium since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 January 2010. He had previously served as bishop of Namur from 1991 until 2010 as André-Mutien Léonard.
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Léonard was born on 6 May 1940 in Jambes, close to Namur. His father died shortly after his birth during the first days of the German invasion of Belgium. He is one of four brothers who all became diocesan priests. After his secondary education at the Collège Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur, Mons. André-Marie Charue, Bishop of Namur sent Léonard to the Seminary Leo XIII in Leuven, where he earned a master's degree in Philosophy.
He continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Belgian College, where he graduated in theology. He was ordained priest on 19 July 1964 by Bishop Charue. He went to Rome, where he earned a license in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
In 1974 he obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvain, with a thesis entitled “A literal commentary on the logic of Hegel”. He taught in the philosophy department of Louvain until 1991. In the late 1980s he became a member of the International Theological Commission, the consultative organ of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
He was appointed bishop of Namur on 7 February 1991 and was consecrated on 14 April [2] of that year by Godfried Cardinal Danneels. He has been described as a man whose theological vision is in line with Pope Benedict XVI's.
As Bishop of Namur, Leonard has focused in particular upon youth ministry and the promotion of vocations to the priesthood. His seminary complex, which also includes a Redemptoris Mater seminary run by the Neocatechumenate, is said to have the largest enrollment in Belgium (where in 2010, 35 of the 71 Belgian seminarians study). Italian Vatican writer Andrea Tornielli reports that Léonard is considered “the most traditional of the Belgian bishops.[3][4]
When named a bishop, he added the name "Mutien" to his first name André in reference to Brother Mutien-Marie Wiaux.
Bishop Leonard preached the 1999 Lenten retreat for Pope John Paul II and the Roman Curia.[5][6]
Bishop Leonard is known to be friendly to the Traditional Latin/Tridentine Mass and frequently celebrates it.[3][7]
On January 18, 2010, he was appointed Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels,[8] replacing the retiring Cardinal Danneels, considered one of the most liberal bishops in Europe.[9] Leonard announced that he had three priorities for his term: vocations, liturgy and a genuine concern for social issues.[4]
Leonard took over from Cardinal Godfried Danneels who opposed key Vatican edicts such as a ban on condoms in AIDS prevention. During his tenure, Belgium legalized euthanasia and same-sex marriages — two red-flag issues in Rome — and Danneels didn't actively try to slow down the pace of change. Leonard's appointment was seen as a move by Pope Benedict XVI to energize the country's Roman Catholic faithful and reverse 30 years of liberalism. The appointment was in line with Benedict's policy of putting tradition-minded and conservative bishops in important dioceses.[10]
When named archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, he choose to drop "Mutien" and instead appended "Joseph" to his name, in reference to Saint Joseph, patron saint of Belgium.[11]
On January 5, 2011 he was appointed among the first members of the newly created Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation.[12] The Council is tasked with renewing the evangelisation of those areas of the world, especially the West, which are hit hardest by secularisation. The nomination has been seen as an affirmation of his leadership by the Vatican.[13]
In April 2010, the then-Bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, retired and admitted that for years he had abused a nephew. In June 2010, police raided both the palace of the archbishop and the home of retired Archbishop Godfried Danneels. The offices of an independent commission set up by the new archbishop Leonard in early 2010 to look into cases of sexual abuse were also raided. At the time, Archbishop Leonard said the move showed that the Church wanted to "resolutely turn a page on a very painful" topic.[16] There was no suggestion Leonard was involved in a coverup (having been in the office for half a year), but his subsequent defense of retired pedophile priests was seen as unnecessarily provocative.[10]
The raids were not well received by the Catholic Church even raising the ire of the Pope.[17] Pope Benedict XVI in a letter addressed to Archbishop Leonard said that: "At this sad moment, I express my special closeness and solidarity to you, dear Brother Bishops, and all the bishops of the Church in Belgium, the surprising and deplorable manner in which searches were conducted in the Cathedral of Malines and See where he met the Belgian episcopate in a plenary session that, among other things, would treat issues relating to abuse of minors by clergy members. I myself have repeatedly stressed that this Ordinance be treated without serious civil and canon law, while respecting mutual specificity and autonomy. Thus I hope that justice take its course, to guarantee fundamental rights of individuals and institutions, while respecting the victims, without preconditions, in recognition of those committed to work with it and rejection of everything that obscures the noble tasks assigned to it."[18]
Leonard is seen as principled although also outspoken, confrontational, and, at times, rash requiring that he later re-explain or retract earlier statements. Leonard's views and the way he delivers them so stridently — although mirroring Catholic doctrine - have riled the Catholic base. Two of Belgium's ten bishops have publicly challenged him and Belgian Premier Yves Leterme, a Catholic, also condemned him. In late 2010, a man ran up to the archbishop during a service at Brussels' main cathedral and shoved a cherry pie in his face.[10]
In 2007, Belgium was facing one of the longest and most intense political crises in its 178 years of existence. After the Belgian general election of 2007, Belgium entered a period of communitarian tensions and political instability, mostly caused by the different opinions about the need and the extent of a state reform.
In 9 July 2008, Bishop Léonard published an open letter on the website of the Diocese of Namur entitled The end of Belgium? (French: La fin de la Belgique?).[24] He wrote that Belgium will not fall apart:
| “ | I hear questions about the future of this country. Will it burst soon? Frankly, I think not. Realism requires us to stay together, Flemings, Walloons and inhabitants of Brussels. If we need months to negotiate the formation of a government, how many years would we need to resolve issues raised by a division of the country: the status of Brussels, the fate of the monarchy, not to mention the innumerable legal and tax problems. We will stay together. Despite our cultural differences, we still have so many things in common. Political conflicts are sometimes acute. But when French speakers and Dutch speakers meet on social, educational and commercial terms, things often happen well. But what is likely is that the Belgian government will federalise even more. It's just what we are already living very peacefully, in terms of the life of the Church. We are one Episcopal Conference, in a beautiful fraternal harmony, but each language group has its own meetings and its specific guidelines. | ” |
| “ | J’entends des interrogations sur l’avenir de ce pays. Va-t-il éclater prochainement ? Franchement, je ne le pense pas. Le réalisme nous impose de demeurer ensemble, Flamands, Bruxellois et Wallons. S’il faut déjà des mois pour négocier la formation d’un gouvernement, combien d’années faudrait-il pour résoudre les questions posées par une division du pays : le statut de Bruxelles, le sort de la monarchie, sans oublier les innombrables problèmes juridiques et fiscaux. Nous resterons ensemble. Malgré nos différences culturelles, nous avons malgré tout tant de choses en commun. Les conflits politiques sont parfois aigus. Mais lorsque des francophones et des néerlandophones se rencontrent sur le plan amical, scolaire ou commercial, les choses se passent souvent très bien. Mais ce qui est probable, c’est que l’État belge va se fédéraliser davantage encore. C’est un peu ce que nous vivons déjà, très paisiblement, sur le plan de la vie de l’Église. Nous formons une seule Conférence épiscopale, dans une belle entente fraternelle, mais chaque groupe linguistique a aussi ses réunions propres et ses orientations spécifiques. | ” |
Bishop Léonard asked Walloons and French-speaking inhabitants of Brussels to renounce their superiority complex of the French language against Dutch-speaking Belgians. Bishop Léonard himself is a proficient speaker of Dutch.
| “ | If then the French-speaking Belgians, naturally more attached to a united Belgium than the Flemish, want, quite legitimately, Belgium to survive, it is not enough that they fly the Belgian flag in the streets. They must renounce any linguistic superiority complex. They must learn, each according to his social role, to know and to love the language and culture of their northern neighbors. | ” |
| “ | Si donc les francophones, spontanément plus attachés que les Flamands à la Belgique unitaire, veulent, tout aussi légitimement, que la Belgique se perpétue, il ne suffit pas qu’ils arborent des drapeaux belges dans les rues. Il faut qu’ils renoncent à tout complexe de supériorité linguistique. Il faut qu’ils apprennent, chacun selon son rôle social, à connaître et à aimer la langue et la culture de leurs voisins du Nord. | ” |
The letter was published the same month in the Dutch Catholic magazine Katholiek Nieuwsblad.[25]
In an April 2007 interview for the weekly Télé Moustique, Léonard was asked about his position on homosexuality and described homosexual behaviour as “abnormal”.[26][27][28]
| “ | The same as Freud: it is an imperfectly developed stage of human sexuality which contradicts its inner logic. Homosexuals have encountered a blockage in their normal psychological development, rendering them abnormal. I know that in a few years, I will risk prison by saying this, but it could offer me vacations. | ” |
| “ | La même que Freud: c’est un stade imparfaitement développé de la sexualité humaine qui contredit sa logique intérieure. Les homosexuels ont rencontré un blocage dans leur développement psychologique normal, ce qui les rend anormaux. Je sais bien que dans quelques années, je risquerai la prison en affirmant cela, mais ça pourrait m’offrir un peu de congés. | ” |
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—André-Mutien Léonard [26] |
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As a consequence, he was charged with homophobia under Belgium's 2003 Anti-Discrimination Act, after gay activists have said he sought to “stigmatize” homosexuals. Due to the criticisms that followed his interview, Bishop Léonard quickly clarified that it is their behaviour that is abnormal, not their very person.
In April 2009, the Belgian courts ruled that Bishop's comments were not severe enough to be considered slander or discrimination.[29]
"Homosexuality is not the same as normal sex in the same way that anorexia is not a normal appetite," says the new Archbishop of Brussels. Shortly after his appointment Archbishop Léonard's comments were made in an interview with a Belgian television station. He added that he would "never call anorexia patients abnormal." [30]
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| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert-Joseph Mathen |
Bishop of Namur 7 February 1991 – 18 January 2010 |
Succeeded by Rémy Victor Vancottem |
| Preceded by Godfried Danneels |
Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels 18 January 2010 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by Godfried Danneels |
Primate of Belgium 18 January 2010 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by Godfried Danneels |
Ordinary of military ordinariate of Belgium 27 February 2010 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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