Belgian bishop plans to ordain married men to fulfil Synod vision

 — Mar. 21, 202621 mars 2026

‘The initiative is now in the hands of local bishops,’ Bishop Johan Bonny wrote in his pastoral letter, noting that the Antwerp diocesan synod had proposed several reforms.

Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp has challenged Rome to push forward with synodal reforms by announcing changes including the ordination of married men in his diocese by 2028.

Carefully quoting guidelines for the Synod on Synodality’s implementation phase (2025-2028), his 11-page pastoral letter proposed the viri probati reform alongside the naming of woman pastors, a new understanding of parishes, welcoming new Catholics and updating the Church’s message.

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The document answers urgent pastoral realities with reforms Rome has considered but not taken. Without them, the bishop says, he does not have enough priests to do the tasks the synod documents call for.

“The initiative is now in the hands of local bishops,” Bonny wrote in the letter published on 19 March. Noting the Antwerp diocesan synod had proposed several reforms, he said: “What should be done can no longer be postponed sine die.”

He would “make every effort to ordain married men as priests for our diocese by 2028,” he said. “The consensus on this question is almost total … It is an illusion to think a serious synodal-missionary process in the West still has a chance without also ordaining married men.”

There are “almost no domestic candidates … for ordination” now but many lay Catholics who would make good priests, he said. Priests from abroad are a temporary answer, but “they come to help us, not to replace us”.

The sexual abuse crisis haunts Bonny, a former spokesman on the issue for the hard-hit Belgian Church. “Trust in the Church and its ministers has been severely diminished … How do we rebuild that trust?”

Bonny dismissed arguments against women’s ordination as “theologically weak and anthropologically outdated”. Since the answer cannot be only “non-ordination”, he proposed as an interim step a “sacramental” act opening the ministry of pastor (parish priest in Flemish) to lay people.

Recognising this would meet demands for a new ministry role for both sexes and “honour the vocation that women recognise in themselves”, he said, but women’s ordination would remain “a thorn in the flesh for the Church”.

Among other reforms, consolidating small parishes into ever larger units requires a mission station in each area to bring pastoral agent together in a synodal way. The bishop hoped to see this by 2030.

The wave of new Catholics being baptised is a challenge that requires synodal discussions “to discern together which path these ‘newcomers’ can take with us, and we with them”, Bonny wrote.

Antwerp synodal meetings also asked what spreading the Gospel means today. “The meaning of symbolic gestures reaches further than words can say … ‘They simply did it’ is so much stronger than ‘they said it well’.” The diocese will strive to put words into action.

“The synod must end where it began: in every diocese or in every local church,” Bonny wrote. Admitting tensions were inevitable, he continued: “Local bishops are churches are responsible for this implementation [of synodality]. They must not continue looking around and deferring.”

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Posted: Mar. 21, 2026 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=14939
Categories: TabletIn this article: Belgium, Catholic, married clergy, ordination, synodality
Transmis : 21 mars 2026 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=14939
Catégorie : TabletDans cet article : Belgium, Catholic, married clergy, ordination, synodality


<a href='https://nati-reti-2026.org/' target='_blank'>North America-Turtle Island Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute (NATI-RETI) 2026: <i>Where Now for Visible Justice?</i></a>

North America-Turtle Island Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute (NATI-RETI) 2026: “Where Now for Visible Justice?”

 — Mar. 6, 20266 mars 2026

The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) and the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), initiated and supported by the World Council of Churches (WCC), are proud to announce a joint theological project: the North America-Turtle Island Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute (NATI-RETI) 2026. Scheduled for August 3 through August 16, 2026, this initiative represents a significant renewed chapter in cross-border collaboration, providing a shared platform for emerging Christian leaders from Canada and the United States to engage in deep theological reflection and spiritual fellowship.
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In this file photo, Pope Leo XIV greets people as they hold up cellphones to take photos and videos as he enters St. Peter’s Basilica for an audience with pilgrims in Rome for the Holy Year 2025

Vatican theological commission warns of replacing God with ‘a world governed by machines’

 — Mar. 5, 20265 mars 2026

The Vatican’s International Theological Commission has warned that if humanity places total trust in technology in a “world ruled by machines,” it risks replacing the “living God” with a counterfeit “virtual God.”

The assessment came in a sweeping new document, published on March 4, examining how artificial intelligence, transhumanism and other technological developments can pose profound risks to human identity and dignity. The document seeks to propose a response rooted in Christian anthropology and the Gospel.

The 48-page document, titled “Quo vadis, humanitas? Thinking about Christian anthropology in light of some scenarios for the future of humanity,” was published in Italian and Spanish after being approved by Pope Leo XIV. Its Latin title — meaning “Where are you going, humanity?” — echoes the question tradition holds was put to St. Peter before his crucifixion in Rome.
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<a href='https://ecumenism.net/2026/03/the-mission-in-the-digital-environment' target='_blank'>The Final Report of Study Group 3 on The Mission in the Digital Environment.</a> This was one of 10 study groups initiated by Pope Francis at the request of the October 2023 session of the Synod of Bishops. Pope Leo XIV has ordered the publication of each of these reports to assist with the continuing implementation of the Synod's Final Document (October 2024)

The Mission in the Digital Environment

 — Mar. 3, 20263 mars 2026

God calls every baptized person to proclaim the Good News, entrusting this missionary mandate to all. Within our missionary Church, charisms have historically developed to live out this mission in response to the needs of different times and cultures. In the present historical moment, the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (FD), now part of the Ordinary Magisterium of the Pope, has recognized the digital environment as a culture, with its own dynamics, languages, and modes of interaction. In this perspective, the Synod affirms that “digital culture constitutes a crucial dimension of the Church’s witness in contemporary culture and an emerging missionary field” (FD, no. 149).

We all, as the baptized, are called to bring the Good News to people we meet in this environment through missionary approaches that respond to its specific characteristics, engaging its opportunities while facing its challenges and risks directly.
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Theology of Church Apologies

 — Mar. 2, 20262 mars 2026

What does it mean when a church says “I’m sorry”? “Theology of Church Apologies” from the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada invites reflection on the significance of church apologies. Drawing on scripture, theology and historical examples, it shows how apologies can help repair relationships and guide communities towards truth, healing and reconciliation.

“I’m sorry.”

Many of us know the profound healing effect of hearing these or similar words spoken, in sincerity and truth, by someone who has in some way wronged us. Many of us also know the deeply humbling feeling of being the one who offers a genuine apology.

In recent years several churches have offered formal apologies to individuals and communities of people who have been harmed – sometimes traumatically – by our words and deeds. In Canada, for example, Catholic and Anglican leaders have formally apologized for our churches’ role in the destructive system of Indian Residential Schools.
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Now Hiring! General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches

 — Mar. 2, 20262 mars 2026

Has your faith commitment and organizing experience prepared you or someone you know for this leadership role?

The Canadian Council of Churches is seeking an individual to fill the role of General Secretary on a full-time basis for a 5-year renewable term, beginning September 1, 2026.

The Canadian Council of Churches (the Council) is a broad and inclusive ecumenical body, now representing 26 member churches including Anglican; Eastern and Roman Catholic; Evangelical; Free Church; Eastern and Oriental Orthodox; and Historic Protestant traditions.
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Baptism, Footwashing, and Mission | One Body

 — Feb. 26, 202626 févr. 2026

What if footwashing were a sacrament? Of all of the things that Jesus instructed the disciples to do, why didn’t footwashing become a sacrament like the others? Thoughts like these are one of the hazards of being a theologian.

I was thinking about this strange idea this week while reflecting on Pope Leo XIV’s new series of catecheses on Vatican II. Just when he is encouraging us to re-read the documents of the Council, the CCCB has issued a new National Strategy on Ecumenism. The first step in this strategy is to focus on education and formation about the church’s ecumenical teaching, beginning with the Council.
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Ukraine, Canada, and the Church: Calls to action and prayer

 — Feb. 24, 202624 févr. 2026

As we approach the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the twelfth anniversary of its illegal occupation of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine, we once again address Canadian Christians with urgency, grief, and hope. These calls to action build on the witness offered in February 2024 when we released A Canadian Pastoral Letter on Ukraine, Canada and the Church. It arises from relationships of shared prayer, co-suffering, and discernment among Ukrainian Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic, Evangelical, and other Christian leaders, together with the World Evangelical Alliance Peace & Reconciliation Network, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and The Canadian Council of Churches. We write again because the war continues, suffering deepens, and faithful Christian witness remains urgently needed.
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This contemporary icon titled 'The Creation of the World' was written by the Bulgarian iconographer Georgi Chimev

Churches Worldwide to Celebrate Feast of Creation

 — Feb. 20, 202620 févr. 2026

A growing ecumenical movement is reshaping church calendars worldwide. The Feast of Creation — celebrated annually on Sept. 1 and also known as Creation Day or the World Day of Prayer for Creation — is being formally added to the liturgical calendars of many churches.

The World Communion of Reformed Churches is supporting the initiative alongside the World Council of Churches, Middle East Council of Churches, Anglican Communion, Lutheran World Federation, and the World Methodist Council.
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Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, delivers the homily as he celebrates Christmas Eve Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank

Board of Peace a ‘colonialist operation’: Cardinal

 — Feb. 18, 202618 févr. 2026

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, strongly criticised the U.S.-led Board of Peace, an international body chaired by President Donald Trump to oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza. During an event at the Roman parish of San Francesco a Ripa Grande, Pizzaballa was asked by moderator Maria Gianniti, Rome correspondent for the Italian news channel RAI, about his thoughts on the Board of Peace.

“What do I think of the Board of Peace? I think it is a colonialist operation: others deciding for the Palestinians,” Pizzaballa said, according to a report by Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore. The cardinal also commented on the invitation extended to the Vatican to join the international body and its $1-billion price tag for a permanent seat on the board.
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Members of the Sixth Phase of the International Lutheran-Catholic Commission on Unity meeting in Moravske Toplice in northeastern Slovenia

Lutherans and Catholics explore deep ecumenical potential of Augsburg Confession

 — Feb. 12, 202612 févr. 2026

Catholic and Lutheran theologians meet in Slovenia to begin drafting a joint statement marking the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession.

The launch of the Sixth Phase of the International Lutheran-Catholic Commission on Unity bears fruit in Slovenia.

“We discerned new perspectives and highlighted the deep ecumenical potential of the Augsburg Confession,” said Prof. Dr Dirk Lange, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations, following the launch of a new phase of theological dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.
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