The Bishop of Antwerp’s “pleasant surprise” is the viri probati. Once again

Rome. While the Pope is still reflecting on the ‘saints of France’ and ‘God’s wonderful surprise’, a little further north, in Antwerp, Bishop Johan Bonny looks back ten years and makes it known that he will press ahead with the viri probati. In an interview with Herder Korrespondenz, Bishop Bonny said: “I do not wish to lead a public campaign, but as a bishop I must be able to respond to an urgent request regarding the shortage of priests in our diocese”. The aim is to proceed with the ordination of married men by 2028, and Rome has already been informed: “In June, I travelled to Rome on my own initiative to present my proposal to the Dicastery for the Clergy and the General Secretariat of the Synod. I was warmly received and had ample time to explain the situation in my diocese. Discussions have also continued within the Belgian Bishops’ Conference. At the same time, I am holding personal interviews with some potential candidates with a view to further formation. I am encouraged by the many positive responses I have received to my pastoral letter.” The situation in Flemish Belgium is serious, given that “the number of local vocations is insufficient both in seminaries and in religious orders” and “we are currently below zero”. The local episcopate stands united with Bishop Bonny, although the bishop himself acknowledges that the situation is not the same everywhere: in the French-speaking dioceses, the emergency is still being managed thanks to African and French priests. However – and this is the most important point – this is not merely a stopgap measure. The issue runs much deeper, and the bishop himself explains it: “We believe that the Catholic Church needs both the priesthood as a sacrament and married priests, in order to preserve and further develop its Catholic identity. Without the sacraments and without the sacramental ministry, no Catholic community can survive or grow. They constitute the driving force and the framework of all missionary activity. They are necessary both for our salvation and for our sanctification and spiritual growth. The entire Catholic tradition is founded on this conviction. It is time to be Catholics together!’ This is, to say the least, a bold analysis, given the glorious (and dramatic) history of Catholics in Japan, who for two hundred years passed on the faith despite persecution, following the sacrifice of the martyrs. Not to mention the history of the Church in Korea. In short, the claim that without the sacraments a Catholic community is doomed to die is false. In any case, what if Rome were to refuse? The matter would become serious: “I am confident that by the end of the synodal process, in the autumn of 2028, a suitable solution will be found. It would be a serious blow to the credibility and implementation of the entire synodal process if no solution were to be found by then.” The Pope is the one called upon: “My confidence,” explains Monsignor Bonny, “is based on Pope Leo XIV and his character, as well as on his role as a bridge-builder. Just as every good father knows what his children need, so it is for all people. My confidence is also based on fellow bishops from various countries and continents, who have personally confirmed to me that they are facing the same situation and support the same solution.”

The issue of viri probati is not new: in 2019, during the Synod on the Amazon, the topic was discussed at length. Paragraph 111 of the Final Document states that it was proposed that “the competent authority should establish criteria and provisions for ordaining suitable male priests recognised by the community, who, whilst having a legitimately constituted and stable family, have a fruitful permanent diaconate and receive adequate formation for the priesthood in order to support the life of the Christian community through the preaching of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments in the most remote areas of the Amazon region. In this regard, some have spoken in favour of a universal approach to the matter”.