Lode Aerts

His Excellence, Mgr. Lode Aerts
Bishop of Bruges
Church	Catholic Church
Diocese	Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges
Appointed	5 October 2016
Predecessor	Jozef De Kesel
Orders
Ordination	7 July 1984
Consecration	4 December 2016 by Cardinal Jozef De Kesel
Personal details
Birth name	Lodewijk Aerts
Born	(1959-10-02) 2 October 1959 Geraardsbergen
Previous post	Canon of St-Bavon, Dean of Ghent
Alma mater	Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Pontifical Gregorian University
Motto	Pretiosus In Oculis Suis (Precious in His eyes)
Coat of arms

Lode Aerts (born 2 October 1959) is the bishop of Bruges, Belgium. He was consecrated for the see on 4 December 2016.^[1]

Career at the diocese of Ghent

Lode Aerts is a native of Geraardsbergen, diocese of Ghent. He attended secondary school in Eeklo and entered the Diocesan Seminary in Ghent in 1977. He studied Philosophy at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Theology at the diocesan seminary.^[2] He was ordained priest on 7 July 1984 and in 1988 obtained a doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He taught at the seminary in Ghent from 1988 to 2002, when he became a canon of St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, and the diocesan vicar for vocations. In the summer of 2016 he became dean of Ghent Cathedral.^[3]

Bishop of Bruges

On 5 October 2016 he was appointed by Pope Francis to succeed Jozef De Kesel as bishop of Bruges.^[4] At that point the diocesan cathedra had already been vacant since 6 November 2015, after Pope Francis elevated Bishop de Kesel to the Archdiocese of Mechelen.

As his motto he chose Pretiosus In Oculis Suis (Precious in His eyes).^[5] He was consecrated by Cardinal de Kesel, in the Cathedral of Saint Saviour.

Publications

• Nieuwkomers bij de bron (Halewijn, 2003)
• Drinken aan de bron (Halewijn, 2012).

References