Lucas Van Looy


Lucas Van Looy S.D.B. is a Belgian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Bishop of Ghent from 2004 to 2019. He worked as a missionary in Korea for more than a decade and held leadership positions with the Salesians from 1984 to 2003.

Biography

Van Looy was born in Tielen, Belgium. He studied with the Jesuits in Turnhout and Don Bosco College in Hechtel. He became a member of the Salesians of Saint John Bosco in 1961 and studied from 1962 to 1964 at their school in Groot-Bijgaarden. After a three-year stint in South Korea he studied theology at the Catholic University of Louvain from 1967 to 1970. He took his final vows as a Salesian on 6 March 1968 and was ordained a priest on 12 September 1970.
He worked in South Korea from 1972 to 1984. He then held a series of positions in the leadership of the Salesians: head of missions from 1984 to 1990, youth ministry head from 1990 to 1996, and Vicar General from 1996 to 2003.
He was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Ghent by Pope John Paul II on 19 December 2003, and consecrated bishop by Cardinal Godfried Danneels on 1 February 2004.
Pope Francis accepted his retirement in December 2018, but asked him to remain as bishop until his successor was appointed. On 27 November 2019, Pope Francis accepted his resignation and named Lode Van Hecke to succeed him.