Catholicism was introduced in what was to become Belgium in the 4th century and a
regular hierarchy was set up in the course of the following centuries.
In 1559 a separate archdiocese of Mechelen/Malines - incorporating at first only
part of the dioceses of the Southern Netherlands, but later extended to include all
of them - was erected.
Archbishops
1867 - 1883 Cardinal (1875) Victor August Isidore
Deschamps 1810 - 1883
1883 - 1906 Cardinal (1889) Pierre Lambert Goossens 1827 - 1906
1906 - 1926 Cardinal (1907) Désiré Joseph Mercier 1851 - 1926
1926 - 1961 Cardinal (1927) Jozef Ernest van Roey 1874 - 1961
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The suffragans of Mechelen in 1945 were :
F = Flemish diocese
W = Walloon diocese
B = Bilingual diocese
Brugge (F, covering the province of West Vlaanderen)
Gent (F, covering the province of Oost Vlaanderen)
Liège (B, covering the provinces of Liège and Limburg)
Namur (W, covering the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg)
Tournai(W, covering the province of Hainaut)
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BRUGGE
The diocese of Brugge was erected in 1559
Bishops
1864 - 1894 Johan Joseph Faict 1813 - 1894
1894 - 1895 Pieter De Brabandere 1828 - 1895
1895 - 1931 Gustaaf Adolf Waffelaert 1847 - 1931
1931 - 1952 Henri Lamiroy 1883 - 1952
GENT
The diocese of Gent was erected in 1559
Bishops
1865 - 1888 Hendrik Frans Bracq 1804 - 1888
1888 - 1916 Antoine Stillemans 1832 - 1916
1917 - 1927 Emilius Jean Seghers 1855 - 1927
1927 - 1947 Honoré Joseph Coppieters 1874 - 1947
LIEGE
The diocese of Liège was erected in the 4th century
Bishops
1852 - 1879 Théodore Alexis Joseph de Montpellier 1807 - 1879
1879 - 1901 Victor Joseph Doutreloux 1837 - 1901
1902 - 1927 Martin Hubert Rutten 1841 - 1927
1927 - 1961 Louis Joseph Kerkhofs 1878 - 1961
After their occupation by the Belgians in 1919, the Prussian territories of Eupen
and Malmédy were detached from the German Diocese of Cologne to form the separate
Apostolic Administration of Eupen - Malmèdy - Sankt Vith.
In 1920 the administration became the separate Diocese of Eupen - Malmédy.
Apostolic Administrator
1919 - 1920 Sebastiano Nicotra, Tit. Archbishop of
Heraclea in Tracia I, Papal Envoy to
Brussels 1822 - 1929
Bishop
1920 - 1925 Martin Hubert Rutten, bishop of Liège s.a.
After the complete integration of the region into Belgium in 1925, the Diocese was
abolished and its territory became part of the Diocese of Liège.
NAMUR
The diocese of Namur was erected in 1559
Bishops
1867 - 1883 Théodore Joseph Gravez 1810 - 1884
1883 Pierre Lambert Goossens s.a.
1884 - 1892 Edouard Joseph Belin 1821 - 1892
1892 - 1899 Stanislas Jean-Baptiste Decrolière 1839 - 1899
1899 - 1941 Thomas Heylen 1856 - 1941
1941 - 1977 André Marie Charue 1898 - 1977
TOURNAI
The diocese of Tournai was erected in 1146.
Bishops
1835 - 1872 Gaspar Joseph Labis 1792 - 1872
1872 - 1880 Edmond Hyacinthe Théodore Joseph Dumont 1828 - 1880
1880 - 1897 Isidore Joseph Du Roussaux 1... - 1897
1897 - 1915 Charles Gustave Walravens 1841 - 1915
1915 - 1923 Amedée Marie Crooij 1869 - 1923
1924 - 1939 Gaston Antoine Rasneur 1874 - 1939
1940 - 1945 Louis Delmotte
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