Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Jozef de Kesel of Bruges, Belgium, as archbishop of Malines-Bruxelles, and as military ordinary for Belgium.
He succeeds Archbishop Andre Leonard, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
The archdiocese has nearly 3 million people, some 1.8 million of whom are Catholic. They are served by about 1,800 priests and 3,250 religious, as well as around 90 permanent deacons.
Belgium is 75% Catholic according to census data.
