| The Most Reverend Willem Jacobus Eijk |
|
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Utrecht | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Utrecht |
| Enthroned | 11 December 2007 (4 years, 86 days) |
| Predecessor | Adrianus Johannes Simonis |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Other posts | Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1 June 1985 |
| Consecration | 6 November 1999 |
| Rank | Archbishop |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Willem Jacobus Eijk |
| Born | 22 June 1953 Duivendrecht, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Alma mater | University of Amsterdam Rolduc Leiden University Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Pontifical Lateran University |
Willem Jacobus "Wim" Eijk (born 22 June 1953 in Duivendrecht, North Holland) is a Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. On 11 December 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Eijk the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht[1] and, on the 26 January 2008 Eijk was installed in the Sint Catharina Church in Utrecht. He is the 70th successor of Saint Willibrord (658-739)[2] on the See of Utrecht. He was formerly Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden.
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Born in Duivendrecht he originally took a degree in medicine in 1978 at the University of Amsterdam. Consecutively studied to become a priest (after an intensive deliberation with the then Bishop, Simonis) at the seminary of Rolduc in Kerkrade. From 1979 he combined other elements of his theological formation with the study ofn medical ethics at the University of Leiden.
He was ordained to priesthood in 1985 and was incardinated in the Diocese of Roermond. Then he went to work as a curate in the parish of St. Anthony of Padua in Venlo Blerick.
In 1987 he completed a PhD degree in Medicine, with a dissertation about euthanasia, subsequently taking another PhD degree in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)[3] in Rome in 1990, with a thesis which considered genetic manipulation.[4]
Eijk also gained a master's degree and doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome. At the same time he taught moral theology at the seminary of Rolduc. From 1996, Eijk was Professor of moral theology at Lugano in Switzerland, in pontifical Faculty of Theology there. From 1997 to 2002 he was a member of the International Theological Commission.
When Eijk on 17 July 1999 was appointed as bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden , he chose the motto Noli recusare labore. After a difficult start, the episcopate of Bishop Eijk was marked by signs of growth in all parts of the Church. The most telling example may be seen in the Groningen cathedral, which changed from a church which was closed on weekdays, into a lively and open church community. The diocese saw the appearance of other "places of hope" as well, where parishes and other communities started to thrive. The number of ordinations to the diaconate and the priesthood has risen in recent years.
Eijk is known to be conservative. Some consider his views relatively extreme compared to the majority of the Dutch people,[5] especially his views on abortion and homosexuality. Others have argued that he has done nothing else but restate official Roman Catholic teachings.[6] In 2001 Wim Eijk suffered from a subdural hematoma, but he fully recovered.
In May 2008 Pope Benedict appointed Archbishop Eijk a member of the Congregation for the Clergy in addition to his duties as Archbishop of Utrecht.
| Styles of Willem Eijk |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
| Episcopal lineage | |
| Consecrated by: | Adrianus Johannes Simonis |
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johann Bernard Wilhelm Maria Möller |
Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden 17 July 1999 – 11 December 2007 |
Succeeded by Gerard de Korte |
| Preceded by Adrianus Johannes Simonis |
Archbishop of Utrecht 11 December 2007 – present |
Incumbent |