Feestprogramma 100 jaar ‘Mechelse gesprekken’
tussen Katholieken en Anglicanen
100 jaar geleden eindigden de ‘Mechelse Gesprekken’. Voorloper van de oecumene, nodigde toenmalig aartsbisschop-kardinaal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926) in een vriendschappelijke sfeer een paar mensen uit voor gesprekken die de voorwaarden onderzochten voor een toenadering tussen de Anglicaanse en de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk. Bij hen waren, onder meer, aan Anglicaanse zijde Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax, aan Katholieke zijde priester Fernand Portal. De gesprekken vonden plaats in Mechelen in het bisschoppelijk paleis in 1921, 1923 en 1925. De tafel waaraan de gesprekken werden gehouden staat er nog steeds.
Programme festif 100 ans de ‘Conversations de Malines’
entre Catholiques et Anglicans
ll y a 100 ans s’achevaient les « Conversations de Malines ». Précurseur de l’œcuménisme, le cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926), alors archevêque, invitait dans une ambiance amicale quelques personnes à des entretiens qui exploraient les conditions d’un rapprochement entre les Églises anglicane et catholique romaine. Parmi eux se trouvaient, entre autres, du côté anglican, Charles Wood, 2e vicomte d’Halifax, et du côté catholique, le prêtre Fernand Portal. Les discussions ont eu lieu à Malines, au palais épiscopal, en 1921, 1923 et 1925. La table à laquelle les conversations ont eu lieu est toujours là.
Festive program 100 years of ‘Malines Conversations’
between Catholics and Anglicans
100 years ago, the ‘Malines Conversations’ ended. Precursor to ecumenism, then-archbishop Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926), in a friendly atmosphere, invited a few people to talks that explored the conditions for a rapprochement between the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches. With them were, among others, on the Anglican side Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax, on the Catholic side priest Fernand Portal. The talks took place in Mechelen at the episcopal palace in 1921, 1923 and 1925. The table where the conversations were held is still there.
PROGRAM of the academic conference
The Centenary of the Malines Conversations and Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue Today
18-20 September 2025
Thursday 18 September
16.00 Registrations
17.00-19.00 Opening plenary: The Historical context of the Malines Conversations (1921-1926)
17.00 Word of Welcome by Archbishop Luc Terlinden, overview and practical information by Peter De Mey (KU Leuven) and deacon Koen Jacobs, diocesan responsible for ecumenism.
17.30 Jan De Volder (KU Leuven), The Catholic Protagonists and their Views on Christian Unity: Cardinal Mercier, Fernand Portal, Lambert Beauduin
18.10 Jeremy Morris (National Advisor for Anglican Relations for the Church of England), An Anglican View on the Malines Conversations: Expectations, Experiences, Results
18.50 Conversation with the two speakers
19.15 Walking dinner
Friday 19 September
8.00 Church Sint-Jan, Roman Catholic Eucharist, sermon by Anglican bishop Robert Innes
9.00-10.30 Plenary session 2: The Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue as an opportunity to reflect on ecumenical method
9.00 Paul Murray (University of Durham), Receptive Ecumenism as a Tool for Ecumenical Dialogue
9.30 Ian Ernest (former Primate of the Anglican Church of the Indian Ocean), The Ecumenical Methodology of IARCCUM: Experiences from Mauritius and Rome
10.00 Conversation with the two speakers
10.30 Coffee break
11.00-12.30 Short paper session 1
12.30-14.00 Lunch break
14.00-16.00 Plenary session 3: The Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue as an opportunity to reflect on Church and ministry
14.00 Jamie Hawkey (Canon theologian, Westminster Abbey), Do Anglican Orders Have to Remain forever Utterly Null and Void?
14.30 Arnaud Join-Lambert (UC Louvain), The Ecumenical Significance of the Rediscovery of Synodality in the Roman Catholic Church
15.00 Conversation with the two speakers
15.30 Coffee break
16.00-18.00 Short paper session 2
20.00 Concert by Christ’s College Cambridge Choir
Saturday 20 September
8.00 Church Sint-Jan, Roman Catholic Eucharist, sermon by Anglican theologian Helen Orchard
9.00-10.30 Short paper session 3
10.30 Coffee break
11.00-12.30 Plenary session 4: The Anglican-Catholic dialogue as an opportunity to reflect on Christian life and worship
11.00 Kirsty Borthwick (College chaplain Christ Church, University of Oxford), The Beauty of Anglican Liturgies as an Example for Other Christian Churches
11.30 Sigrid Müller (Universität Wien), The Challenge and Richness of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Ethical Issues
12.00 Conversation with the two speakers
12.30 Highlights of the conference as experienced by an Anglican and a Catholic listener
12.50 Words of thanks
13.00 End of the conference
14.30-17.30 City tour with visit to the Cathedral.
18.30-21.00 Conference dinner
Concert op vrijdagavond
Naar aanleiding van de honderdste verjaardag van de Mechelse Gesprekken kon je op vrijdag 19 september 2025 in de kathedraal komen luisteren naar het gerenommeerde Chapel Choir van Christ’s College uit Cambridge. Ze brachten voor deze gelegenheid een niet te missen concert met Engels koormuziek van de zestiende tot de eenentwintigste eeuw.
Op het programma :
– Songs of Farewell van C.H.H. Parry
– Requiem van Herbert Howells
– werken van o.a. Tallis, Gibbons, Stanford, Weir en Rooney
Aanvang : 20u
Festive program on Sunday
At the end of the festive program, there was a solemn moment on Sunday afternoon in the Saint Rumbold’s Cathedral.
14.00 Academic session
15.30 Unveiling of a memorial plaque at the tomb of Cardinal Mercier
16.00 Anglican Evensong
The speakers were Archbishop Luc Terlinden, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Bishop Johan Bonny, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell.
Peter Wood, Earl of Halifax and great-grandson of Charles Wood, conversation partner of Cardinal Mercier, also addressed the audience.