Pope Leo XIV accepted this Monday, October 6, the resignations of Monsignor Pierre Warin (Namur) and Monsignor Guy Harpigny (Tournai), both 77 years old, and appointed their successors: Father Fabien Lejeusne, A.A., an Augustinian of the Assumption aged 52, and Father Frédéric Pierre Rossignol, C.S.Sp., of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit aged 51.
The Holy See’s Bulletin detailed the profiles of the new bishops: Lejeusne, of Franco-Belgian origin, has worked in youth pastoral care, pilgrimages, and in the governance of his congregation in Europe; Rossignol, for his part, has served in missions in Vietnam and Bolivia, and until now was spiritual director at a pontifical college in Rome.
The episcopal ordinations will be celebrated in December: on the 7th in Namur and the 14th in Tournai, both at 3:00 PM.
Expectations and surprises
In September, The Pillar emphasized that Belgium had become a “testing ground” for the new pontificate, as several dioceses were vacant and the orientation of the appointments would mark the episcopal course of Leo XIV. The analysis anticipated that the selection of candidates would reveal whether the Pope would favor local, academic, pastoral, or reformist profiles.
Neither Lejeusne nor Rossignol are members of the diocesan clergy of the dioceses they will now shepherd, and both are little known in the Belgian Church. The two come from religious congregations, which indicates a deliberate decision to seek external and relatively young profiles, capable of ensuring long episcopates.
Leo XIV’s bet reveals a clear criterion: missionary and international candidates over well-known figures in the local context. This can be interpreted as a sign of renewal, but also as a risk: bishops who arrive without roots in the diocese, in a country marked by secularization and a strong decline in vocations.