Don Bosco Church in Buizingen, Belgium. Hilde Kennes via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0).In a March 20 statement, Church authorities said that Don Bosco Church in Buizingen
about 10 miles southwest of the capital Brussels
would “no longer continue to exist as a parish,” though it will have some continuing connection to the Catholic Church
But while the move was meant to provide clarity
an archdiocesan announcement leaves several key questions unanswered
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The Vicariate of Flemish Brabant and Mechelen — a region of the Brussels archdiocese entrusted to an auxiliary bishop as vicar — said it took the step after a year and a half of talks
which “established that major differences remain
mainly in the vision of celebrating and presiding over the sacraments.”
Due to “the fundamental nature of the divergent positions,” the parish will “now function as an independent religious community or organization,” it said
The official website of the Catholic Church in Flanders noted that Don Bosco parish in Buizingen was “known for far-reaching innovations in the field of liturgy and sacraments.”
though it did not specify how a woman or any lay person could “lead” the Eucharist
which can only be celebrated by an ordained priest
The Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels’ decision to disassociate from the Don Bosco community comes six months before Pope Francis is due to visit Belgium and six months after Archbishop Luc Terlinden took the helm of the archdiocese
While the archdiocese has not offered details
the move would seem to have required the suppression of the juridic person of the parish
and — because the archdiocese has stressed that the church has some ongoing relationship to the Church — the possible creation of a new juridic entity
with a newly defined relationship to the Catholic Church
It is not clear which canonical entity now owns the church itself
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he was succeeded by a team of 19 lay people who took turns leading the Sunday liturgy
The church’s website says that “each weekend a Eucharist is worked out by someone from the ‘liturgical working group.’”
The Vicariate of Flemish Brabant and Mechelen has not specified the precise nature of its concerns about the church’s liturgical practices. Belgium’s VRT NWS suggested March 26 that baptisms had been performed without authorization by lay people
while lay-led services were incorrectly described as the Eucharist
Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest are increasingly common in northern Europe amid a decline in priestly vocations
In England and Wales, for example, the services are known as Celebrations of the Word and Communion
a lay person distributes Holy Communion consecrated at a previous Eucharist
Underlining that the service is not a Mass
the leader says: “As our priest cannot be with us
Let us reflect on the word and pray together and then share Christ’s Body and Blood consecrated for us at a previous Eucharist.”
The liturgy section of Don Bosco Buizingen’s website contains scores of sample celebrations
suggesting it takes an experimental approach to liturgies
The website says that members of the “liturgical working group” are “free to choose a theme” for celebrations
“In the strong liturgical periods such as Advent and Lent
the same theme is explored several Sundays in succession,” it says
even if he or she is not a member of the liturgical working group
The Vicariate of Flemish Brabant and Mechelen pushed back Wednesday against Belgian media reports that Don Bosco Buizingen had been expelled from the Catholic Church
In a March 26 statement
it underlined that the church “cannot continue to function as a parish
among other things because of the differences in vision on the celebration of the sacraments
as indicated in our communication of March 20
“By allowing its operations to evolve from a parish to an independent religious community
it is given space to continue its activities
like other movements or organizations in the Church.”
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A statement on Don Bosco Buizingen’s website addressed its loss of parish status
even though everyone had still hoped that there would be room in the diocese for the proposal to continue to exist as a form of a ‘lab church’ within the synodal process of renewal.”
the water between the two parties proved too deep
and our vision of celebrating and presiding over the sacraments a bridge too far.”
“We could remain an independent religious community
but working out the financial and legal details will require time and consultation
A Don Bosco group will be formed to go through that process with someone from the vicariate.”
the vicariate said that it would “continue to discuss the practical effects of this decision” with representatives of Don Bosco Buizingen
“We hope that this will give a future to the operation of both the Don Bosco Buizingen religious community and the Halle pastoral zone
and that new opportunities for collaboration may arise,” it said
“To ensure that the upcoming discussions between the vicariate and Don Bosco Buizingen take place in complete serenity
we will only communicate further about this theme when all details about the new structure have been worked out together.”
Around half of Belgium’s roughly 12 million population identified as Catholic in 2022
the last year for which figures are available
with 8.9% attending Mass at least once a month
Sunday Mass attendance in Belgium rose modestly in 2022 after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions
but attendance remained 40% down from 2017
Although the Catholic Church in Belgium is comparatively small, it has exerted considerable influence on the global Church in the decades since the Second Vatican Council
Belgian bishops published a text allowing for a ritual blessing of same-sex couples in September 2022, more than a year before the Vatican issued the declaration Fiducia supplicans
on “the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples.”
Pope Francis said in December 2023 that he intended to visit Belgium this year
The trip is thought to be scheduled for September
but the Vatican has not officially confirmed the visit
Belgium’s apostolic nunciature announced last week that Pope Francis had laicized Bishop Roger Vangheluwe
almost 14 years after the Bishop of Bruges resigned after admitting that he had abused a nephew
A Church official had said in January that it would “be difficult for Pope Francis to make a peaceful visit to our country in September until there is clarity on this matter.”
Editor’s note: This report was updated March 27 with information from a VRT News report.
Even if what they're doing is so far removed from the mass that you couldn't argue it's even simulation of the sacrament, shouldn't *that* be the issue to address? Bewildering.
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Belgium\u2019s Mechelen-Brussels archdiocese has stripped a community of its parish status, amid a disagreement over its lay-led liturgies, while specifying that the community will retain some ongoing and unspecified connection to the Church, which the archdiocese analogized to an ecclesial movement.
Don Bosco Church in Buizingen, Belgium. Hilde Kennes via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0).In a March 20 statement, Church authorities said that Don Bosco Church in Buizingen
would \u201Cno longer continue to exist as a parish,\u201D though it will have some continuing connection to the Catholic Church
Leave a comment
The Vicariate of Flemish Brabant and Mechelen \u2014 a region of the Brussels archdiocese entrusted to an auxiliary bishop as vicar \u2014 said it took the step after a year and a half of talks
which \u201Cestablished that major differences remain
mainly in the vision of celebrating and presiding over the sacraments.\u201D
Due to \u201Cthe fundamental nature of the divergent positions,\u201D the parish will \u201Cnow function as an independent religious community or organization,\u201D it said
The official website of the Catholic Church in Flanders noted that Don Bosco parish in Buizingen was \u201Cknown for far-reaching innovations in the field of liturgy and sacraments.\u201D
though it did not specify how a woman or any lay person could \u201Clead\u201D the Eucharist
The Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels\u2019 decision to disassociate from the Don Bosco community comes six months before Pope Francis is due to visit Belgium and six months after Archbishop Luc Terlinden took the helm of the archdiocese
and \u2014 because the archdiocese has stressed that the church has some ongoing relationship to the Church \u2014 the possible creation of a new juridic entity
Share
The church\u2019s website says that \u201Ceach weekend a Eucharist is worked out by someone from the \u2018liturgical working group.\u2019\u201D
The Vicariate of Flemish Brabant and Mechelen has not specified the precise nature of its concerns about the church\u2019s liturgical practices. Belgium\u2019s VRT NWS suggested March 26 that baptisms had been performed without authorization by lay people
Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest are increasingly common in northern Europe amid a decline in priestly vocations.
In England and Wales, for example, the services are known as Celebrations of the Word and Communion
a lay person distributes Holy Communion consecrated at a previous Eucharist.
the leader says: \u201CAs our priest cannot be with us
Let us reflect on the word and pray together and then share Christ\u2019s Body and Blood consecrated for us at a previous Eucharist.\u201D
The liturgy section of Don Bosco Buizingen\u2019s website contains scores of sample celebrations
The website says that members of the \u201Cliturgical working group\u201D are \u201Cfree to choose a theme\u201D for celebrations.
\u201CIn the strong liturgical periods such as Advent and Lent
the same theme is explored several Sundays in succession,\u201D it says
In a March 26 statement
it underlined that the church \u201Ccannot continue to function as a parish
\u201CBy allowing its operations to evolve from a parish to an independent religious community
like other movements or organizations in the Church.\u201D
Share The Pillar
A statement on Don Bosco Buizingen\u2019s website addressed its loss of parish status
even though everyone had still hoped that there would be room in the diocese for the proposal to continue to exist as a form of a \u2018lab church\u2019 within the synodal process of renewal.\u201D
and our vision of celebrating and presiding over the sacraments a bridge too far.\u201D
\u201CWe could remain an independent religious community
A Don Bosco group will be formed to go through that process with someone from the vicariate.\u201D
the vicariate said that it would \u201Ccontinue to discuss the practical effects of this decision\u201D with representatives of Don Bosco Buizingen
\u201CWe hope that this will give a future to the operation of both the Don Bosco Buizingen religious community and the Halle pastoral zone
and that new opportunities for collaboration may arise,\u201D it said
\u201CTo ensure that the upcoming discussions between the vicariate and Don Bosco Buizingen take place in complete serenity
we will only communicate further about this theme when all details about the new structure have been worked out together.\u201D
Around half of Belgium\u2019s roughly 12 million population identified as Catholic in 2022
Sunday Mass attendance in Belgium rose modestly in 2022 after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions
Although the Catholic Church in Belgium is comparatively small, it has exerted considerable influence on the global Church in the decades since the Second Vatican Council
Belgian bishops published a text allowing for a ritual blessing of same-sex couples in September 2022, more than a year before the Vatican issued the declaration Fiducia supplicans
on \u201Cthe possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples.\u201D
Belgium\u2019s apostolic nunciature announced last week that Pope Francis had laicized Bishop Roger Vangheluwe
A Church official had said in January that it would \u201Cbe difficult for Pope Francis to make a peaceful visit to our country in September until there is clarity on this matter.\u201D
Editor\u2019s note: This report was updated March 27 with information from a VRT News report
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By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE Updated: 09:39 BST
A train driver who went through a red light before causing a crash that killed 18 passengers jumped out seconds before impact
Detectives are set to interview the man – who has not been named - involved in the horrific accident involving two trains in Buizingen
They will question him in hospital where he is in an ‘extremely serious’ condition
Escape: One of the train drivers jumped out of his cabin moments before two trains collided in Belgium yesterday
apparently frantically sounded his whistle and hit the brake before escaping the crash in which some 170 people were injured
He was found sobbing by rescuers after jumping from his cabin
A fraction of a second later he used the emergency brake
then the driver jumped from in his cabin to the carriage aisle
I saw the driver standing outside the train
probably because he then began to fully realise what had happened.'
said: 'Police will question the driver when his condition allows it.'
The other train driver was among the 15 men and three women killed in the crash - the worst in Belgium since 1954
Rescue workers battle freezing conditions to search for people in the wreckage
Some passengers needed on-the-spot amputations to free them from the wreckage of the rush-hour trains - one of which was heading to Braine-le-Comte and another was bound for Liege on the same track
Belgian train drivers today went on strike over safety concerns
Travel chaos was set to continue tomorrow as Eurostar services from London to Brussels
remain suspended while investigators and emergency services continue to work at the scene of the crash
the EU Commission was hit by claims that it bore the blame for the disaster
Rail authorities have claimed ‘community requirements’ had resulted in a lack of funding for new signalling which may have contributed to the head-on collision
Mission: Rail authorities have claimed the crash
could have been avoided if both trains had been fitted with an automatic braking system
said that the crash 'could have been avoided' if both trains had been fitted with an automatic braking system - a recommendation from a Belgian court in 2004 following a derailment in 2001 in which eight people died
said: ‘We've read comments in the Press this morning with some surprise
because they do call into question European safety rules
‘We don't see that they are founded on evidence.’
Kearns added that it was ‘not productive at this stage to engage in a blame game’ with the Belgian authorities
Belgian railroad chief Marc Descheemaecker last night alluded to EU requirements when explaining why there was a delay in equipping all trains with an automatic brake system that stops the train on crossing a red light
Rush-hour: The two trains were travelling towards each other on the same track
adding that the Belgian railway company SNCB had only installed that system on a third of its trains and expected to finish the process by 2013
Commission experts pointed to the fact that the process of the 20-plus different signalisation systems across the EU is aimed at increasing rail-road safety
it is only mandatory for international trains
uses seven different signaling systems across Belgium
The two trains that collided head-on after one apparently ignored the red light were on a regional track
An investigation into the causes of the accident has been launched and could take months
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