Abstract

Throughout the period stretching from 1860 to Vatican Council, 11 (1962-1965), Belgium stood out as one of the epicentres in which the Catholic Church sought out ways of coexisting with modernity, i.e. with scientific progress and its repercussions on doctrine, on the one hand, and with the rise of individual rights on the other. This dynamism lay within a favorable context; the existence of an innovatory ruling classes; a tradition of exchanges and differences, due to the country's frontier position; the promulgation of a constitution which guaranteed modern liberties; the presence of an episcopate which was concerned with its autonomy. The existence of a significant milieu for intellectual interaction (linked to the Catholic University of Louvain in particular) stimulated this search. The search found expression in various domains of the pastoral, as is attested, for example, by certain features of the liturgical movement, of spirituality, of missionary concerns, of catholic action, and of oecumenicalism.

How to Cite:

Remy, J. & Voyé, L. & Tihon, A., (1986) “De katholieke Kerk van België en haar vergelijk met de moderne wereld: enkele initiatieven met internationale reikwijdte”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 7(1-2), 11–30. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.85932