The Catholic Church in Belgium, a pastoral laboratory

The handshake is solid, the smile friendly. Madam episcopal delegate Rebecca Alsberge, 41 years old, welcomes us to the vicariate of Walloon Brabant, in Wavre, about twenty kilometers from the Belgian capital. Since January 2024, she has exercised the de facto responsibilities of an auxiliary bishop. An unprecedented case in Belgium, and almost unique in Europe. This was the first appointment decided by Mgr Luc Terlinden when he became archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, a year ago.

Chosen in preference to a cleric to succeed Mgr Jean-Luc Hudsyn, who has reached retirement age, Rebecca Alsberge today directs 133 priests – many of whom come from Africa -, 13 deacons and 64 lay pastoral leaders. “Team work is going well,” she assures, before letting go: “A priest pointed out to me one day that I would undoubtedly be more legitimate if I had more advanced theological training…” For l To assist, an assistant was appointed, a priest. The opposite of the usual pattern. And the sine qua non condition posed by Rome to endorse this female appointment.

Rebecca Alsberge says she is completely at ease in this Church in dialogue with the world, “on the peripheries” as Francis wishes: close to the poor, migrants, divorced and remarried people, LGBT people… Even if she allows herself a semantic subtlety: “Finally, in Belgium, it is not us who go to the outskirts. We have not been in the center for a long time, society has put us on the outskirts. We must be aware of this in order to know how to address the majority of people, far from any religious practice. »

And the Church of Belgium has its own way of evangelizing. “We are not raising a banner. Going to markets to distribute leaflets here doesn’t really work… We testify more, in my opinion, by our way of being or by a well-chosen word, at the right time,” continues the episcopal delegate. A way of being confirmed by the Jesuit Tommy Scholtes, spokesperson for the Conference of Bishops of Belgium: “We are a Church open to dialogue to the extent that we are used to seeking compromises between the different regions of the country. , between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking cultures. We are not seeking to absolutely re-Christianize society. The challenge is to offer the Gospel. Don’t keep a low profile, but a true profile. »

An assumed presence

Rebecca Alsberge is therefore not the type to tear down walls. The day before our interview, September 1, in the small town of Tubize, she went in procession up the nave of the church among around twenty priests. A visible, assumed presence. The ceremony took place on the occasion of the launch day of Time for Creation, an annual initiative desired by Pope Francis to signify the importance of protecting the planet. That Sunday, the troops who came to participate in the various activities were rather thin. Around fifty people wandered between the stands, from a chapel where people pray for Creation to a beekeepers’ tent.

Another sign of this Belgian Catholicism attentive to its times: the establishment, in 2022, of a “faith and homosexuality” meeting place, within the Flemish Church, integrated into the family pastoral service. A representative on LGBT issues has also been appointed in each Flemish diocese, in order to show that everyone has their place in the institution.

Dare to debate more

Some are delighted to see a “serene” Belgian Church, within which conservatives represent a very small minority. Others would like, on the contrary, that she expresses herself in a more offensive manner on sensitive subjects, that she dares to debate. Doctor and practicing Catholic, Timothy Devos, 50, says he is opposed to euthanasia, decriminalized in Belgium in 2002, and whose legal framework has continued to be extended – to mentally ill people and minors in particular. “Certainly, the bishops are speaking out. I still think that they should believe a little more in their message and not leave beaten in advance. » Catholic journalist Emmanuel Van Lierde adds: “Our Church is a little tired due, among other things, to cases of abuse. It has become difficult to witness to one’s faith and to be a missionary today. » As if to remind us that “burial”, dear to the post-conciliar generation, cannot constitute the only way of evangelizing. If one in two Belgians say they are Catholic, only 8.9% went to mass at least once a month in 2022. Certain indicators, however, give cause for optimism: as in France, the number of baptisms and confirmations of adults has continued to grow for several years, as has participation in certain pilgrimages.

It is in this country with Catholicism in movement that the Pope arrives. Grady Lody, 17, has just learned that he will receive a ticket for the high mass in Brussels on September 29. A godsend as the 35,000 seats at the Baudouin stadium were sold out in an hour and a half on the Internet! “I would like the Church to reach out more to young people, to encourage us to go to mass,” says this marketing student, who admits he only goes to the parish occasionally. Antoine Gérard, a 34-year-old association leader, was not even aware of the pontiff’s visit. “Really, is he going to talk about ecological transition and eco-anxiety at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve? he wonders. He’s a rock star, he’s in tune with the times! » François’ choice to go to Louvain (Flanders) and Louvain-la-Neuve (Wallonia) owes nothing to chance: the 600th anniversary of this prestigious university center, which, during the 1960s, participated in the preparation of the Second Vatican Council, constitutes the official reason for his visit.