NEWS
On 15 November, the Chaplain-President was honoured to represent the Anglicans of Belgium at the annual King's Day celebrations, first at the Te Deum in the Catholic cathedral in Brussels, then at an event in the Belgian Senate, Les mouvements de jeunesse en action / Jeugbewegingen in actie, during which the uniformed youth movements (chiefly the Scouts) presented their work and their vision to the leaders of the nation.
A la mi-novembre, le chapelain-président passe plusieurs jours à Dakar dans le cadre de son projet à la FUTP Bruxelles sur les tirailleurs sénégalais comme exemple précoce de l'afropéanité vécue.
On 7 November, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, spoke to the diocesan network for parishes/chaplaincies engaged in refugee projects about the ways in which the European Institutions in Brussels consider questions of migration, immigration and refugees, and the ways in which the churches and other faith and lifestance groups contribute towards these discussions and decisions.
Le passage biblique de Romains 10:15 était le thème utilisé au Forum chrétien francophone qui a lieu à l’Institut St-Laurent à Liège du 28 au 31 octobre 2024. Le Forum a pour but de réunir plus de 20 confessions ou familles chrétiennes de différents pays francophones d’Europe. Le chapelain-président a assisté à l’ouverture de la 2ème édition du Forum et le vice-président Eric Sibomana a pu participer au dernier jour de ce rassemblement chrétien du monde francophone. Ces quatre jours n’ont laissé aucun participant indifférent et ont servi à sensibiliser l’Eglise à œuvrer ensemble pour bâtir plus de ponts et moins de murs entre nous. Le constat général est que l’Esprit-Saint est à l’œuvre dans chaque famille chrétienne. Parmi les dires de ceux qui étaient sur place : « Il faut le vivre pour le comprendre » ou encore : « Si Dieu a des enfants partout, ça veut dire que nous sommes frères et sœurs : il y a une seule église. » Le vice-président a croisé Mme Natacha-Ingrid Tinteroff (paroissienne de la paroisse St Michael’s à Paris) qui est venue participer au Forum.
On 6 November, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, participated in a seminar jointly organised by the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland bureau in Brussels and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Brussels on the future of international dialogue on arms control and disarmament, in the light of the current war in Ukraine and the refusal of Mr Putin to engage in meaningful arms control conversations with Nato and others. Our conversations were sharpened by the fact that Mr Trump had been elected to the presidency of the USA for a second time the same morning, with possible consequences for the safety and peace of Ukraine. The Churches' contribution to real dialogue on the peace and security of nation states under threat of war was extensively discussed.
On 4 November, the Chaplain-President hosted and chaired at Holy Trinity Brussels a meeting of the Federale Interlevensbeschouwelijke Dialoog/Dialogue Fédéral Interconvictionnel, the informal meeting of the chefs de culte which prepares for formal meetings with the Regional and Federal Governments in Belgium. The Second Secretary took the minutes. On this occasion, representatives of the Catholic, Protestant-Evangelical, Jewish, Anglican, Muslim, Orthodox, Humanist and Buddhist convictions were joined by a delegation from the Forum Hindou de Belgique, who gave a presentation on Belgian Hinduism and on the Forum's path towards legal recognition as a culte reconnu in Belgium.
On 1 November, the Chaplain-President, in his capacity as Bishop Robert's adviser for EU affairs, met Ms Martha Jarvis (the Archbishop of Canterbury's Permanent Representative to the UN) and the Revd Dr Duncan Dormor (General Secretary of USPG) at the USPG's headquarters in London, as part of their regular meetings to discuss Anglican Communion lobbying for peace, reconciliation, justice and the values of the Kingdom of God at the UN and EU. A very constructive conversation was had which we hope will lead to an even more prioritised and coordinated approach from the two principal Anglican delegations to international bodies.
Le 28 octobre, le chapelain-président fut ravi de représenter Mgr Innes et l'Eglise anglicane en Belgique à la deuxième édition du Forum chrétien francophone, qui se déroule toute la semaine à l'Institut Saint-Laurent de Liège. La première soirée comprenait un délicieux repas des boulettes à la Liégeoise, suivi d'un temps de prière et louange. La soirée fut une excellente opportunité de retrouver de vieux amis de Liège, de Bruxelles, de Malines, ainsi que de s'en faire de nouveaux venus de Beauvais !
On 27 October, the Chaplain-President was privileged to lead the memorial service for Mrs Felicia Abban, the first female professional photographer in Ghana, who had for a time been the personal photographer of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of post-independence Ghana and architect of the political philosophy of Pan-Africanism. The service was held in St John's Gent with large numbers of the Ghanaian diaspora in Gent attending, and was followed by refreshments provided by Mrs Abban's family.
On 24 October, the Concertation des Eglises chrétiennes en Belgique (in effect the Belgian Council of Churches) met at the Catholic headquarters in Brussels for a full agenda of discussion about issues topical to the member Catholic, Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox Churches. Following the retirement of the Revd Sunny Hallanan, the Anglican delegation is now composed of the Chaplain-President, Canon John Wilkinson and Sister Julian, an Anglican Benedictine sister attached to the Catholic community at Wavreumont near Malmédy.
On 16 October, Bishop Robert and the Chaplain-President received a delegation from the Church of England in England led by the Bishop of Leeds, the Right Revd Nick Baines, who were spending the day in Brussels in connection with a report being written by the Bishop of Leeds on the future of the Church of England's relationship with Europe. Bishop Baines went on to meet Baron Frans van Daele of the European Commission, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium, the Deputy British Ambassador to Belgium, the head of the German Protestant delegation in Brussels and the General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches. We hope that Bishop Nick received a good flavour of European Anglicanism and our various interfaces with European life and politics.
On 14 October, the Chaplain-President was delighted to have lunch at the British embassy with Ms Chloe Louter, Deputy Ambassador and Chargée d'Affaires. They had a long and fruitful discussion about religion in Belgium and about Anglo-Belgian relations.
Le 11 octobre, le chapelain-président, en sa qualité de professeur titulaire d'histoire moderne à la FUTP Bruxelles, a participé à une joyeuse cérémonie de rentrée académique et de remise de diplômes, organisée à la chapelle royale de Bruxelles. En plus des diplômes habituels de bachelier et de master en théologie, les nouveaux certificats universitaires proposés par la FUTP en études afropéennes, en dialogue interreligieux et en islamologie ont produit un nombre de récipiendaires massivement élargi. La cérémonie est suivie d'une conviviale réception, occasion surtout pour les professeurs de rencontrer les familles fières des étudiants.
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
Le 10 octobre, le Secrétaire Général et la Deuxième Secrétaire ont participé à une séance d’information offerte par le Ministère de la Justice concernant la collecte et le contrôle des extraits de casier judiciaire des ministres du culte et délégués de la Laïcité.
Le Comité central souhaite que chacun, en particulier les mineurs et les adultes vulnérables, se sente bienvenu et à l'aise, que ce soit dans nos bureaux ou dans l'une de nos paroisses. Le Comité central tient alors à s'assurer que tous ses ministres ont effectué toutes les vérifications nécessaires en matière de protection des personnes vulnérables.
On 8 October, the Chaplain-President was busy in the European Commission for a session led by Frans van Daele, EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, after which he went to the European Parliament. Later that day, the Chaplain-President, the Revd Sarah-Jane King (chaplain at St Martha and St Mary Leuven) and M. Balthazar Nahimana (worship-leader at Saint-Esprit Mons) were the Anglican attendees at the Prière oecuménique de la Rentrée at the Chapelle de l'Europe (the Jesuit and ecumenical mission to workers in the EU Institutions), led by Bishop Robert, Archbishop Luc Terlinden (who preached) and other church leaders. This was followed by a delicious reception.
On 9 October, the Chaplain-President, as one of the two canon theologians of the Diocese in Europe, participated in a meeting by zoom of the diocesan chapter (the canons of the three Church of England cathedrals in Gibraltar, Malta and Brussels). The other canon theologian, the Revd Canon Prof Robin Gill, based in Gibraltar, spoke on religious resonance and religious harmony.
On 7 October, the Chaplain-President was invited by the Archbishop of Malines-Bruxelles for lunch at the Archbishop's Palace in Mechelen with the Catholic group overseeing the centenary celebrations of the Malines Conversations of 1921-1927, the first serious ecumenical conversations between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church since their separation in 1534. Centenary plans were well-prepared for 2021, but the covid pandemic interrupted these. A major conference involving the Catholic and Anglican Churches and KU Leuven is now planned for 18-21 September 2025. The gap in our photo shows the plaque on the actual table in the Archbishop's Palace which was used for the Malines Conversations, with a portrait behind of Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier, who spearheaded them.
Le vice-président du Comité central, M. Eric Sibomana, a eu l'opportunité de participer virtuellement au 4e Congrès du Mouvement de Lausanne, qui s'est tenu à Séoul (Incheon) du 22 au 28 septembre. Ce congrès, inauguré en 1974 par l’évangéliste Billy Graham et le théologien John Stott, vise à rassembler des délégués de divers pays pour réfléchir et collaborer sur la mission globale de l'Église. Il a choisi l'option de participation en ligne, qui lui a permis de suivre les discussions et de s’engager dans des échanges tout en bénéficiant de la richesse des présentations et des ateliers, sans être physiquement présent sur place.
L'objectif principal de ce congrès est d'encourager l'unité des chrétiens dans leur mission commune : l'accomplissement du mandat donné par Jésus en Matthieu 28:19, c'est-à-dire faire des disciples de toutes les nations. Les intervenants ont mis l’accent sur les stratégies pour atteindre les zones encore non touchées par l’Évangile, tout en favorisant la collaboration entre les différentes communautés chrétiennes à travers le monde. M. Sibomana dit, “Ce fut une expérience enrichissante qui m'a permis de renforcer ma vision missionnaire et de mieux comprendre les défis actuels de la mission globale.”
On 30 September, the Central Committee bureau was pleased to welcome to Holy Trinity Brussels Ms Esma Uçan, President of the Conseil Musulman de Belgique/Moslemraad van België, with Dr Michaël Privot, member of the Conseil Musulman, and the new Secretary-General Rachida Aghallaj, to discuss matters of mutual interest as the legal Representative Bodies of Belgian Anglicanism and Belgian Islam.
