His Excellency André-Joseph Léonard |
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Archbishop Emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels | |
Church | Roman Catholic |
Archdiocese | Mechelen-Brussels |
Installed | 27 February 2010 |
Term ended | 6 November 2015 |
Predecessor | Godfried Danneels |
Successor | Jozef De Kesel |
Other posts | Bishop of Namur (1991-2010) |
Orders | |
Ordination | 19 July 1964 |
Consecration | 14 April 1991 by André-Marie Charue |
Personal details | |
Birth name | André Léonard |
Born |
Jambes, Namur, Belgium |
6 May 1940
Nationality | Belgian |
Occupation | Philosopher, theologian |
Alma mater | Université catholique de Louvain |
Motto | Oh, oui, viens, Seigneur Jésus! Apocalypse 22:17–20 |
Signature | |
Coat of arms |
André-Joseph Léonard (Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and Primate of Belgium since his installation on 27 February 2010. He had previously served as Bishop of Namur from 1991 until 2010 as André-Mutien Léonard. His resignation has been accepted by the Holy See on 1 June 2015, and took effect on November 6, after Jozef De Kesel was installed as his successor.
6 May 1940) is a Belgian prelate who has served as theLéonard was born André Léonard on 6 May 1940 in Jambes, Namur. His father died shortly after his birth during the first days of the German invasion of Belgium. He is one of four brothers who all became diocesan priests. After his studies at the Collège Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur, he was sent by André-Marie Charue, the Bishop of Namur, to Pope Leo XIII Seminary in Leuven, where he earned a master's degree in Philosophy.
Léonard continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Belgian College, where he graduated with a degree in theology. He was ordained a priest on 19 July 1964 by Charue. He stayed in Rome, and earned a Licentiate of Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
In 1974 Léonard obtained a doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvain, with a thesis entitled “A literal commentary on the logic of Hegel”. He taught in the philosophy department of Louvain until 1991. In the late 1980s he became a member of the International Theological Commission, the consultative organ of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.