# Roman Catholic Diocese of Ghent

The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: Dioecesis Gandavensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The patron of the diocese is Saint Bavo of Ghent.

## History

The diocese was erected in 1559 by papal bull Super universas to become independent of the Diocese of Tournai. Ghent had an important local administration and was the location of the Abbey of Saint Bavo, founded by Saint Amandus. However, this abbey was suppressed and the canons were removed, moving to the collegiate church of Saint John, and it changed its name to Saint Bavo. This collegiate church became the see of the current diocese. The diocese was created from the surrounding dioceses in Belgium.

## Territorial structure

Originally, the diocese was much larger and contained the city of Hulst. Currently, the diocese is coextensive with the Belgian province of East Flanders, in addition to the municipality of Zwijndrecht, which is in the secular Province of Antwerp.

## Administration

The diocese produced some important priests and clergy like Edward Poppe. The current bishop is Abbot Lode Van Hecke who was appointed by pope Francis in 2019. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.

## Saints

* Pharaildis
* Bavo of Ghent
* Livinus

## Ordinaries

* Stefaan-Andreas de Paula Fallot de Beaumont
* Henricus Franciscus Bracq
The Bishop of Ghent is the ordinary of the Diocese of Ghent.
List of the bishops of the Diocese of Ghent, Belgium
| | Tenure | Incumbent | Device | Reason for exit |
| 1 | 1568–1576 | Cornelius Jansenius (1510–1576) | State | Died |
| 2 | 1588 | Wilhelmus Damasus van der Linden (1525–1588) | Quæ sursum quærite | Died |
| 3 | 1590–1609 | Pieter Damant (1530–1609) | Deum redama | Died |
| 4 | 1610–1612 | Charles Maes (1559–1612) | Deo duce | Died |
| 5 | 1613–1616 | Franciscus van der Burch (1567–1644) | Unitas libertatis ars | Appointed Archbishop of Cambrai |
| 6 | 1617–1620 | Jacobus Boonen (1573–1655) | Vince in bono | Appointed Archbishop of Mechelen |
| 7 | 1622–1657 | Antoon Triest (1577–1657) | Confidenter | Died |
| 8 | 1660–1665 | Carolus van den Bosch (1597–1665) | Crucierne crucier | Died |
| 9 | 1666–1673 | Eugeen-Albert, count d'Allamont (1609–1673) | Patiens esto | Died |
| 10 | 1677–1679 | Frans van Horenbeke (1630–1679) | Facere et docere | Died |
| 11 | 1679–1680 | Ignace Schetz de Grobbendonk (1625–1680) | In labore quies | Died |
| 12 | 1681–1694 | Albert de Hornes (1640–1694) | Lex tua meditatione mea est | Died |
| 13 | 1695–1730 | Philips Erard van der Noot (1638–1730) | Respice finem | Died |
| 14 | 1730–1741 | Jean-Baptiste de Smet (1674–1741) | Caelestia cude arma | Died |
| 15 | 1743–1770 | Maximilien Antoine van der Noot [fr; nl] (1685–1770) | Respice finem | Died |
| 16 | 1772–1778 | Govaart-Geeraard van Eersel (1713–1778) | Ordinate et provide | Died |
| 17 | 1779–1795 | Ferdinand-Marie, prince von Lobkowitz (1726–1795) | Ad haerere Deus bonum | Died |
| 18 | 1802–1807 | Stefaan-Andreas de Paula Fallot de Beaumont (1750–1835) | | Appointed Bishop of Piacenza, Italy |
| 19 | 1807–1821 | Maurits-Jan-Magdalena, prince de Broglie (1766–1821) | | Died |
| 20 | 1829–1838 | Jan Frans Van de Velde (1779–1838) | Auxilium a domino | Died |
| 21 | 1838–1864 | Louis-Joseph Delebecque (1798–1864) | Monstra te esse Matrem | Died |
| 22 | 1865–1888 | Henricus Franciscus Bracq (1804–1888) | In nomine Domini | Died |
| 23 | 1888–1889 | Henri-Charles Lambrecht (1848–1889) | | Died |
| 24 | 1890–1916 | Antoon Stillemans (1832–1916) | Vivat Jezus | Died |
| 25 | 1917–1927 | Emilius Seghers (1855–1927) | | Died |
| 26 | 1927–1947 | Honoré Jozef Coppieters (1874–1947) | Fide et Caritate | Died |
| 27 | 1947–1963 | Karel Justinus Calewaert (1893–1963) | Caritate veritatis | Died |
| 28 | 1963–1991 | Léonce-Albert Van Peteghem (1916–2004) | In Deo salutari | Retired |
| 29 | 1991–2003 | Arthur Luysterman (born 1932) | In terra pax | Retired |
| 30 | 2004–2019 | Lucas Van Looy (born 1941) | In nomine patris | Retired |
| 31 | 2019– | Lode Van Hecke (born 1950) | Cum gaudio spiritus sancti | |

## Other affiliated bishops
### Coadjutor Bishops

* Gustavo Leonardo de Battice (1877–1885), did not succeed to see
* Franciscus Renatus Boussen (1832–1834), did not succeed to see; appointed Bishop of Brugge {Bruges}
* Honoré-Joseph Coppieters (1927)
* Henri-Charles-Camille Lambrecht (1886–1888)
* Arthur Luysterman (1990–1991)

### Auxiliary Bishops

* Leo-Karel De Kesel (1960–1990)
* Nicolas French (1668–1678)
* Oscar Jozef Joliet (1948–1969)
* Eugène van Rechem (1914–1943)

### Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Lodewijk Aerts, appointed Bishop of Brugge {Bruges} in 2016
* Josef De Kesel, appointed auxiliary bishop of Mechelen-Brussel {Malines-Brussels} in 2002; later cardinal
* Gustaaf Joos, appointed a titular archbishop and then cardinal in 2003
* Paul Van den Berghe, appointed bishop of Antwerp in 1980
* François Camille Van Ronslé (priest here 1886–1889), appointed Vicar Apostolic of Belgian Congo in 1896