Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges, is a suffragan diocese in ecclesiastical province of the primatial Metropolitan archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.
The Renaissance diocese since 1558 was suppressed in 1801 during the Napoleonic and Dutch eras and restored in 1834 a pre-diocesan stage as Apostolic vicariate since 1832. Its territory coincides with West Flanders.
Its cathedral episcopal see is the Sint-Salvator Cathedral, dedicated to Our Savior, in Bruges, West Flanders province, a minor basilica a minor World Heritage Site. Its patron saint however is Saint Donatian, hence the cathedral is also known as Sint-Salvators- en Donaaskathedraal after both saints.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally serves 965,000 Catholics on 3,145 km² in 362 parishes and 65 missions with 708 priests, 91 deacons, 1,986 lay religious and 7 seminarians.

History

An earlier diocese of Bruges was established on 12 May 1558, on territory split off from the Diocese of Tournai, as part of the great Habsburg reform of the church in the then Spanish Low Countries. Its cathedral see, St. Donatian's Cathedral, was destroyed in a fire in 1799 during the aftermath of the French Revolution.
During the Napoleonic Concordate-period reforms, it was suppressed on 1801.07.15 and its territory merged into the Diocese of Gent.
On 1832.12.17, shortly after the independence of Belgium, it was restored as Apostolic Administration of West-Vlaanderen, regaining its territory from Ghent. On 1834.05.27, this was promoted to Diocese again and renamed after its see, Brugge, while the incumbent Apostolic Administrator was promoted Suffragan Bishop. On 1967.05.31 it lost a bit of territory to the Ancient Diocese of Tournai, shortly after a reshuffle of province borders involving a few municipalities, notably Moeskroen being transferred to Hainaut.
In 1985 the diocese enjoyed a papal visit from Pope John Paul II, who on 17 May gave a homily on the horrors of war at Ypres as part of his pastoral visit to the Low Countries.
A pederasty scandal saw its self-confessed, hardly remorseful bishop Roger Vangheluwe forced into 'early emeritate', traumatizing the entire Belgian church.

Ordinaries

;Suffragan Bishops
;Apostolic Administrator of West Flanders
;Suffragan Bishops