New primate wants a more open Church

Jozef De Kesel (pictured), Pope Francis’ choice as the new Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and primate of Belgium, spoke in favour of an open and modern Church after the Vatican announced this week that he would succeed Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard.

Currently bishop of Bruges, De Kesel, 68, was an auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Godfried Danneels for eight years and has been popular for his moderate outlook and style. Belgian media said he was first in the terna of candidates to succeed Danneels, who resigned in 2010, the same year he was implicated in an abuse cover-up. Pope Benedict XVI disregarded all the names on that list and chose Léonard instead.

Like Archbishops Blaise Cupich in Chicago and Matteo Zuppi in Bologna, De Kesel’s appointment fits the Pope’s pattern of choosing “pastoral” candidates to replace more conservative prelates. “They loved Danneels and they’ll adore De Kesel,” said the Brussels daily Le Soir, calling him a “spiritual son” of the cardinal and likening his appointment to “removing a lead weight after several years”.

De Kesel has in the past called for a relaxation of mandatory celibacy for priests and called women’s ordination “negotiable”. He urges respect for gay Catholics but stops short of advocating same-sex civil unions, in contrast to his younger colleague Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp.
Speaking after his appointment was announced on 6 November, De Kesel acknowledged the Church faces a shortage of priests, but said lay people could play a greater part.  “We are no longer just a clerical Church, that’s really important,” he said.

De Kesel replaced the disgraced Bishop Roger Vangheluwe in Bruges after the latter admitted to sexually abusing his nephew. Danneels’ reputation was tarnished in that scandal because he tried to keep it quiet, but De Kesel does not seem to have suffered.