Parody of a marriage in Diocese of Lille presided over by senior cleric

Here is a photo taken recently in the church of Saint-Vaast in Bondues, in the Diocese of Lille.

Contacted by us, the parish priest, Abbé Thierry Vandemoortele, who is also Episcopal Vicar for the Diocese of Lille, told us that this was neither a pseudo wedding ceremony nor a blessing for a female couple. He simply held a time of prayer, unadorned and in civilian clothes. Is this, at the very least, an approval of homosexual behaviour?

Remember that

The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons can in no way lead to approval of homosexual behaviour or legal recognition of homosexual unions.

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Background of Father Vandemoortele seen here at a regular ceremony

Questions to Thierry Vandemoortele, parish priest at Mouvaux

The Centre Spirituel du Hautmont will be welcoming several hundred people on Saturday and Sunday 13 and 14 May for the Fête des Vocations, during which Abbé Thierry Vandemoortele, parish priest of Mouvaux, will be celebrating his 40th anniversary as a priest. We wanted to find out more about his priesthood.

On 13 and 14 May, you'll be celebrating 40 years as a priest at the Fête des Vocations. How did your vocation come about and what has been your career path since then?

Thierry Vandemoortele: I come from a Catholic family in Tourcoing. My paternal and maternal grandparents were Mouvallois (from the rue Négrier and the 3 Suisses district). It was mainly my maternal grandparents who brought me up in the Catholic faith, praying, caring for the poor and attending Mass at the Sacré-Coeur church. I started an apprenticeship as a cook at the age of 16, which lasted 10 years. Then, a few years later, I accompanied my parents to Lourdes and there, in front of the grotto, I heard myself saying these words: "If you need me, I'm ready". They seemed to come out of my mouth without me being aware of it. In 1974, I paid my first visit to the seminary in Lille and entered for my first year as an "auditeur libre". It was the "year of discernment". I continued to work for 5 years while taking part in a support team with other young people who were also searching for a vocation. In 1979, I entered the 2nd year of the seminary in Lille for 4 years of "apprenticeship", this time for the priesthood. I did an internship in the parish in the Wazemmes district. I was ordained in 1983, and in 1985 I became chaplain to the secondary schools in Lomme. After a spell in Paris at the Institut Pastoral Catéchique, I returned to the Nord region in 1991 and served as parish priest of Saint-Pol-Petite-Synthe until 1997, then Wasquehal-Croix from 1997 to 2005. Back to Dunkerque until 2009 (for the parishes of Saint-Éloi, Saint-Martin and Saint-Jean-Baptiste). Then I spent 9 years in Lille as parish priest of Saint-Eubert, which covers the churches in the centre: Saint-Maurice, Saint-Étienne and Saint-Sauveur. I was also episcopal vicar for the deaneries of Lille, Révèle and Mélantois to the south of Lille. I moved to Mouvaux-Bondues in 2018. I am still Episcopal Vicar for the deaneries of Roubaix, Tourcoing and Hauts de Lys, to the north of Lille.  The Episcopal Council is a sort of town council around the bishop, with cross-cutting responsibilities. For example, I'm currently in charge of family ministry.

Your flock confides in you. Have you felt affected by the various lockdowns, the war in Ukraine and the problems created by inflation?

Thierry Vandemoortele: Yes, because parishioners are citizens like any others. And like everywhere else in France, these events have touched the hearts of parishioners. We felt they were affected. The church is also a place for discussion, and we try not to let ourselves be overwhelmed by crises. We also make use of the "system D", as we did during the lockdown when we couldn't get together. Video conferencing soon took over. As far as this inflationary crisis is concerned, we feel that it is also affecting the people of Mouvallois. The denier de l'Église has already dropped significantly in 2022. But faith runs deep in Mouvaux. We've even noticed a 'revival' with new families coming to Mass, young couples, families with young children: you can see it every Sunday morning with all the bicycles and cargo bikes hanging outside Saint-Germain church. It's the pastor's role to accompany them. I often say "you have to be in front, behind or in the middle".

Isn't it too difficult to bear the burden of witnessing this suffering?

Thierry Vandemoortele: Fortunately, a parish priest is not alone in his pastoral mission. I'm supported by a very dynamic parish team, made up of 2 councils, a finance committee and an outreach team. It welcomes requests and projects and does everything it can to make them happen. For example, we've set up the Adoration project, so that anyone who wants to can come and adore the Eucharist on Thursday mornings from 6am to 3pm at Saint-Germain church. There is always someone present on that day.  Four or five times a year, we organise a mass with teaching for dads, which ends with a drink in the foyer of the Sacré-Cœur or at Café Causette. This creates links between the parish and people who don't always go to church. The church is open to the world and to current concerns, particularly ecology, with the "green church" label.

What does this mean?

Thierry Vandemoortele: It's a label given to parishes or religious institutes, like the Centre Spirituel de Hautmont, that want to be as ecologically aware as possible, as close as possible to Pope Francis's encyclical "Laudato si", which reaffirms the need for an "integral" ecology: care and concern for man, humanity and the most vulnerable. We have to answer 100 questions to see where we stand in relation to these issues, at different levels. If we achieve the 1st degree, we receive the label. As part of this process, we are going to create a shared garden near Saint-François church, with just a few administrative formalities to be completed before the land can be acquired. It's highly symbolic, because Saint Francis is considered to be the patron saint of the environment.

Cathcon: Bergoglian to his fingertips.

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