The University of Louvain as Breeding Ground for Bishops in the Low Countries and Worldwide

May 12, 1559 was a benchmark in the history of the Low Countries. After a year of intense lobbying in the highest ranks of the Vatican, the Louvain theologian Franciscus Sonnius obtained from Pope Paul IV and the consistory the promulgation of the papal bull Super Universas, stipulating the erection of fifteen new dioceses in the Low Countries. The plan Sonnius had elaborated at the request of Philippe II and Cardinal Granvelle had now, at least theoretically, been realised. The reorganisation process of the ecclesiastical landscape is to be considered in connection with the Tridentine reforms. The bishops’ responsibilities in regards to catechesis, pastoral duties, and education were clearly inspired by the Council of Trent. Sonnius himself was assigned to the episcopal see of ‘s-Hertogenbosch and later to the see of Antwerp. Among bishops of the first generation, who had to take possession of their sees in difficult political and religious circumstances, we come across other colleagues of Sonnius. Louvain professors and graduates were since then frequently appointed to an episcopal see, not only in the Low Countries, but worldwide as well. Quite a few Louvain alumni performed their episcopal duties in Ireland, the United States, India, China, Congo, etc. Still, these numerous Louvain appointments did not imply an optimal relationship between the bishops and the Louvain university. The water in the old harbour sometimes appeared to be too deep and conflicts occurred regularly. 

To honour the occasion of the 450th anniversary of this event, the ‘Centre for the History of the Louvain Faculty of Theology’ will organise an international symposium from Thursday the 5th to Saturday the 7th of February 2009. This colloquium will be focusing on the relationship between the University and the episcopal office, given shape in the appointment of numerous Lovanienses. It is not our intention to present a sheer portrait collection of some striking personalities. Other aspects and approaches must equally be regarded. On Thursday the 5th the lectures will describe the general and international framework. In the morning, the Tridentine view on the episcopal office will be sketched, in the afternoon we will discuss some ‘international bishops’ who were trained at Leuven but were appointed on an episcopal see abroad, usually in their native country. On Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th, we will shed light on Lovanienses who occupied a see in the Low Countries. In that respect, the period from the 16th to the 18th century will be regarded on Friday, and the 19th and 20th centuries form the chronological boundary on Saturday.

 Thursday 5 February

Morning

9:30     Opening

             1559-2009: 450 jaar Lovanienses in het bisschopsambt

9:45     Wim François

             Een herbronning van het ambt van de zielzorgers. De visie van de Leuvense theoloog Jacobus Latomus (1516-18)

10:30   Hans Cools

             Aanzet tot een groepsportret van het episcopaat in de Bourgondisch-Habsburgse landen tussen 1477 en 1559

11:15   Coffeebreak

11:45   Gert Gielis

             De Leuvense theologen en de oprichting van de nieuwe bisdommen in de 16de eeuw

12:30   Lunch

Afternoon

14:00  Peter J.A. Nissen

            De eerste generatie(s) bisschoppen van de Utrechtse kerkprovincie

14:45  Coffeebreak

15:15   Jean-Pierre Delville

             Cornelius Jansenius, exégète de Louvain et évêque de Gand (1510-1576)

16:00   Ending

Evening Program

Evening lecture in the auditorium Wolfspoort, Huis van Bethlehem, Schapenstraat 34

19:00   Michiel Verweij

             Adriaan van Utrecht: van professor in Leuven tot paus in Rome

Reception

Friday 6 February

Morning

9:00     Toon Quaghebeur

            De verloren strijd om de benoeming van Leuvense doctores in de theologie als bisschop in de Nederlanden 1645-1690

9:45    Jan Roegiers

            Bisschopsbenoemingen en niet-benoemingen in de 18de eeuw

10:30  Coffeebreak

11:00  Wietse van der Velde

            Van Leuven naar Utrecht.“Leuvense” bisschoppen van de Oud-bisschoppelijke Cleresie 1723-1767

11:45  Eddy Put

            De Mechelse aartsbisschop Mathias Hovius (1596-1620) en de Antwerpse bisschop Jacob Wellens (1776-1784) en hun relatie met de universiteit: een comparatieve benadering

 12:30 Lunch

Afternoon

14:00   Martin W.F. Stone

             Irish Bishops from Louvain: A Selected Bio-bibliography of Bishops from Peter Lombard to Desmond O'Connell

14:45   Jonas Bognar

             Louvain Alumni as Bishops in the Catholic Church of the United States of America

15:30   Coffeebreak

16:00   Karim Schelkens

             Van Oekraïne naar Canada, via Leuven: Metropoliet Maksym Hermanjuk (1911-1996) als alumnus lovaniensis

16:45   Ending

Saturday 7 February

Morning

9:30    Leo Kenis

            Jean-Baptiste Malou, bisschop van Brugge (1809-1864): de Leuvense universiteit in de ultramontaanse Kerkpolitiek 

10:15  Ludo Collin

            Antoine Stillemans, bisschop van Gent (1889-1916) en zijn veelzijdige relatie met de universiteit te Leuven

11:00  Coffeebreak

11:30  Luc Courtois

            Désiré Mercier: de l’Institut supérieur de philosophie à l'archevêché de Malines

12:15  Lieve Gevers

             Van hoogleraar tot grootkanselier. Jozef Ernest Van Roey (1874-1961) en zijn Leuvense Alma Mater gedurende meer dan een halve eeuw

13:00   Lunch

Afternoon

14:00  Mathijs Lamberigts

            Interactie tussen residerende Belgische bisschoppen en de Leuvense theologen op het Tweede Vaticaanse Concilie

14:45  Louis Vos

            Leo Jozef Suenens (1904-1996), vice-rector en verdediger van de universitaire eenheid

15:30  Closing Comments and Remarks

Official languages are Dutch, French and English. Lectures can last for 30 minutes, whereas 15 minutes will be provided for questions and debate. The organisation hopes for international interest.

The colloquium will be held at the ‘Louis Janssens zaal’ of the Heilige Geestcollege/  Holy Spirit College (Naamsestraat 40), which lies in the center of Leuven. The Heilige Geestcollege can be reached from the Leuven trainstation or  with the De Lijn bus (buses 1 en 2, exit at the “Zeelstraat” stop), with a  taxi, or by foot (10-15 min. walking distance along the Bondgenotenlaan and the Grote Markt).

The colloqium registration costs €10 . For students and personel of the KU Leuven is admission free. Registrations can take place, via the website, or via through our contact address:

Dr. Wim François
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Faculteit Godgeleerdheid
Sint-Michielsstraat 6
B- 3000 Leuven
+32 (0)16 32 84 56

Wim.Francois@theo.kuleuven.be

(c) KU Leuven, Kunstpatrimonium - foto Bruno Vandermeulen

The colloqium was sponsored by: