Engelbert Sterckx

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Cardinal Sterckx
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Engelbert (Engelbertus) Cardinal Sterckx (born November 2, 1792 in Ophem near Brussels , Brabant , † December 4, 1867 in Mechlin ) was a Belgian clergyman and Archbishop of Mechlin from 1832 until his death .

Life

Engelbert Sterckx began his studies in Vilvoorde and continued it from 1805-1807 at the humanistic high school in Enghien . He then attended secondary school in Louvain and moved to the seminary in Mechelen. Engelbert Sterckx was ordained a priest on February 18, 1815 and took over the professorship for philosophy and moral theology in the Mechelen seminary . It was used at a parish in Bouchout and then in Antwerp . In 1827 he became vicar general of the Archdiocese of Mechelen. As a capitular vicar , he led the official business there from January 1831.

Pope Gregory XVI appointed him on February 24, 1832 Archbishop of Mechelen. On April 8, he donated the bishop of Tournai , Jean-Joseph Delplancq , in the St. Rumbold's Cathedral , the episcopal ordination ; Co-consecrators were the Bishop of Liège , Cornelis Richard Anton van Bommel , and the Bishop of Ghent , Jan-Frans van de Velde . His motto was Pax vobis ("Peace with you").

On September 13, 1838, Pope Gregory XVI took him. as a cardinal priest with the titular church of San Bartolomeo all'Isola in the college of cardinals . As a metropolitan , he reformed the entire Belgian Church and led the Belgian bishops to act together. Cardinal Sterckx did not take part in the conclave of 1846 , in which Pope Pius IX. was chosen. On March 20, 1866 he was the longest serving cardinal priest Cardinal Protopriester . He died in Mechelen at the end of 1867 and was buried in the local cathedral.

Political rumors

As Archbishop of Mechelen, he campaigned for the freedom of the Church in Belgium in these politically, religiously and revolutionarily difficult times. King William I of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (regent 1815-1830) had attempted to transfer the training of priests to his powers. He closed diocesan seminars and set up a "philosophy college", which was supposed to take over the training of priests and which was allowed to nominate teachers and professors independently of the archbishop.

Kingdom of Belgium

The socio-political unrest finally led to an independent Kingdom of Belgium in 1830 under King Leopold I , a prince from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . With the help of Sterckx, the new kingdom adopted a liberal constitution in which freedom of religion, teaching and freedom of the press was guaranteed. Sterckx managed to defend this liberal position before the Holy See , and he convinced Pope Gregory XVI. for toleration of the Belgian constitution . Under the episcopal leadership of Sterckx, the Catholic Church was given great freedom and founded schools, monasteries and charities. In 1834 a free Catholic university was founded in Mechelen , the main work of Archbishop Sterckx, and in 1842 the Catholic University of Leuven was reactivated. Belgium was elevated to an ecclesiastical province and the suffragan dioceses of Liège , Namur , Tournai , Bruges and Ghent were assigned to the Archdiocese of Mechelen .

Founding of orders according to episcopal rights

In 1834, Archbishop Sterckx confirmed the former religious order of Befers Dienstmaagden van Maria as a congregation under episcopal law. On January 25, 1839, he transferred the leadership of the Order of Mercy Brothers of Mechelen to Brother Victor Scheppers and approved the rules of the order . On June 22nd, 1857 he granted the episcopal approbation to the Augustinies Zwartstersters van Halle as a congregation under episcopal law. In 1863, Sterckx also approved the canonical establishment of the "Soeurs du Sacré Coeur de Marie".

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predecessor Office successor
Franciscus-Antonius de Méan Archbishop of Mechlin
1832–1867 		Victor Cardinal Dechamps
Antonio Tosti Cardinal Protopriest
1866-1867 		Filippo de Angelis
personal data
SURNAME Sterckx, Engelbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sterckx, Engelbertus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian theologian, Archbishop of Mechelen and cardinal priest
DATE OF BIRTH November 2, 1792
PLACE OF BIRTH Ophemus near Brussels
DATE OF DEATH 4th December 1867
Place of death Mechelen