The Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, Msgr. Luc Terlinden, has defended opening a debate on the ordination of married men in the Latin Church after taking part as a guest at the General Synod of the Church of England, held in York from 10 to 12 July. In an interview given to the Dutch daily Nederlands Dagblad, the prelate stated that “married priests would be an enrichment for the Church” and recalled that the Belgian episcopate had already forwarded this proposal to Rome during the 2023 Synod on Synodality.
Terlinden’s presence in York was in response to an invitation from the Anglican Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, and forms part of the historic relationship between the archdioceses of York and Mechelen-Brussels, heir to the so-called Malines Conversations (1921–1927), one of the first Catholic–Anglican dialogues of the twentieth century. According to the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels itself, the aim of the visit was to observe how the Anglican synod operates and to strengthen ecumenical ties between the two sees.
Asked about the possibility of ordaining married men, Terlinden recalled that the Belgian bishops sent a document to Rome during the 2023 Synod on Synodality expressing their willingness to discuss that possibility.
Alongside that proposal, the episcopate requested “a certain decentralisation” that would allow local Churches greater autonomy in studying specific pastoral questions.
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