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Church in Belgium
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Vatican appointments

Pope appoints ‘critically loyal’ theologian to ecclesiastical universities’ oversight agency

Bénedicte Lemmelijn was at the center of controversy when Pope Francis visited Belgium last year.

Edgar Beltrán
Mar 22, 2025
∙ Paid

Pope Francis appointed on Friday a Belgian theologian who describes herself as “critically loyal” to the Church to serve on a Vatican body responsible for overseeing ecclesiastical universities.

Bénédicte Lemmelijn, Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven.
Bénedicte Lemmelijn. Credit: KU Leuven.

The appointment is likely to prove controversial, as theologian Bénedicte Lemmelijn is dean of the theology department at …

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