Last weekend, Archbishop Luc Terlinden of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium, attended the General Synod of the Anglican Church of England in York.
He was there to find out more about how synodality is practised there. "It functions like a parliament. That fits with the long English tradition. There is a chair and a secretary. Sitting beside them is a lawyer wearing one of those traditional wigs", he told Nd.nl on 15 July.
"We are asking ourselves how synodality - the participation of all the faithful - relates to the collegiality of the bishops. As a bishop, I am convinced that a balance must be found between these two realities."
Bishop Terlinden added that the bishop or the Pope always has the final say, which makes sense to him: "At the same time, I very much identify with the words that Pope Leo XIV recently addressed to the cardinals: 'I must listen before I lead and learn before I teach.'"
Ordain Married Priests in Belgium, Not in Poland?
When asked about celibacy, Bishop Terlinden said that the Belgian bishops had clearly stated in a 2023 document sent to Rome that they were open to ordaining married men, "In that context, we are also asking for a certain degree of decentralisation."
He continued: "For me, married priests would enrich the Church. I see this in the Eastern Churches."
Referring to the fact that 90 per cent of the Byzantine Catholic clergy are married, Terlinden said that Roman Catholics "do not always show enough respect" for that compromise [in defiance of the apostolic order].
Picture: Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, #newsGhmxbidiip