Wim Eijk
| His Eminence Willem Jacobus Eijk | |
|---|---|
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Cardinal Archbishop of Utrecht President of the Bishops' Conference of the Netherlands Primate of the Netherlands | |
 Willem Cardinal Eijk | |
| Church | Archbishop Eijk in May 2007 |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Utrecht |
| Appointed | 11 December 2007 |
| Installed | 26 January 2008 |
| Predecessor | Adrianus Johannes Simonis |
| Other posts | Cardinal-Priest of San Callisto |
| Orders | |
| Ordination |
1 June 1985 by Joannes Baptist Matthijs Gijsen |
| Consecration |
6 November 1999 by Adrianus Johannes Simonis |
| Created Cardinal | 18 February 2012 |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Willem Jacobus Eijk |
| Born |
22 June 1953 Duivendrecht, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Previous post | Roman Catholic Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden |
| Alma mater |
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| Motto |
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| Coat of arms |
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| Styles of Wim Eijk | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Willem Jacobus "Wim" Eijk (born 22 June 1953) is a Dutch prelate of the Catholic Church. On 11 December 2007 Pope Benedict XVI appointed Eijk the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht[1] and, on 26 January 2008 Eijk was installed in the St. Catharine's Cathedral 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. On 18 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made him a Cardinal.
Early life and studies
Willem Jacobus Eijk was born on 22 June 1953 in Duivendrecht, North Holland, Netherlands.[3]
Eijk studied medicine at the University of Amsterdam and received his degree in 1978. After an intensive deliberation with then Bishop Simonis, he started at the seminary of Rolduc in Kerkrade to become a priest. From 1979 he combined his theological formation with the study of medical ethics at Leiden University.
He was ordained to priesthood in 1985 and was incardinated in the Diocese of Roermond.[3] 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.
Eijk is an alumnus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Angelicum where in 1990 he completed a PhD in philosophy[4] with a dissertation entitled The ethical problems of genetic engineering of human beings.[5]
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.
| Ordination history of Wim Eijk | |
|---|---|
| Episcopal consecration | |
| Principal consecrator | Adrianus Johannes Simonis (Utrecht) |
| Date of consecration | 6 November 1999 |
| Bishops consecrated by Wim Eijk as principal consecrator | |
| Herman Woorts[6] | 13 February 2010 |
| Ted Hoogenboom[7] | 13 February 2010 |
Bishop and Archbishop
When Eijk was appointed as bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden on 17 July 1999, he chose the motto Noli recusare laborem ("Do not reject the work"), taken from the last prayer of St. Martin.[8]
Eijk is known to be orthodox. Some consider his views relatively extreme compared to the majority of the Dutch people,[9] especially his views on abortion and homosexuality. Others have argued that he has done nothing else but restate official Roman Catholic teachings.[10] 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.
On 18 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI made Eijk a Cardinal along with 21 others.[11] He was created Cardinal-Priest of San Callisto. In addition to his duties on the Congregation for the Clergy, on 21 April Cardinal Eijk was appointed a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
References
- ↑ Cf. Holy See Press Office, Daily Bulletin of 11.12.2007, Rinunce e nomine, Nomina dell’Arcivescovo Metropolita di Utrecht (Paesi Bassi) (Italian)
- ↑ Reportret: Willibrord
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 David M. Cheney, "Willem Jacobus Cardinal Eijk", Catholic-Hierarchy.org, 2012. Retrieved on 2012-10-24.
- ↑ http://www.katholieknederland.nl/actualiteit/2007/detail_objectID616608_FJaar2007.html Biografie aartsbisschop Wim Eijk [ Actualiteit | Katholiek Nederland ]]
- ↑ http://www.communio.nl/index.php?id=19&taal=nl Accessed September 16, 2013
- ↑ Bishop Herman Willebrordus Woorts. Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ↑ Bishop Theodorus Cornelis Maria Hoogenboom. Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ↑ Interview with the cardinal-designate
- ↑ RTV Utrecht – voor stad en provincie Utrecht
- ↑ nu.nl/algemeen | Wim Eijk aartsbisschop van Utrecht
- ↑ "List of new cardinals named by Pope Benedict". Reuters. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wim Eijk. |
- (Dutch) Aartsbisschop Willem Jacobus Eijk at the website of the Archdiocese of Utrecht
- Archbishop Willem Jacobus Eijk at the website Catholic-Hierarchy.org
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Johann Bernard Wilhelm Maria Möller |
Roman Catholic Bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden 17 July 1999–11 December 2007 |
Succeeded by Gerard de Korte |
| Preceded by Adrianus Johannes Simonis |
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Utrecht 11 December 2007–present |
Incumbent |