eurel     Sociological and legal data on religions in Europe and beyond
You are here : Home » Belgium » Social and religious data » Religious groups and nonreligion

Religious groups and nonreligion

Religious minorities

Since 2003, the Conseil administratif du culte protestante et évangélique (administrative council of the Protestant and Evangelical churches, CACPE) gathers most of the Protestant churches of (...)

Since 2003, the Conseil administratif du culte protestante et évangélique (administrative council of the Protestant and Evangelical churches, CACPE) gathers most of the Protestant churches of Belgium.
The Exécutif des musulmans de Belgique (Executive of Belgian Muslims, EMB) is the official representative of Islam to the Belgian governement.
The Fondation de la Mémoire contemporaine (Contemporary memory foundation, Brussels) brings to light the history of the Jews in Belgium and their contribution to Belgian society during the 20th century.

  • Further information: see the Mineurel website of information on religious minorities, concerning Belgium.

D 3 April 2012   

Orthodoxy

Coming from various emigrations (Russian, Greek) in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Orthodox presence in Belgium was singularly increased by post-Soviet immigration. Today there are about (...)

Coming from various emigrations (Russian, Greek) in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Orthodox presence in Belgium was singularly increased by post-Soviet immigration. Today there are about 100,000 members, from all origins, languages and traditions. About sixty communities (parishes, missions, small monasteries) are served by three bishops residing in Brussels (for the patriarchates of Constantinople, Moscow and Georgia), about fifty priests and about ten deacons.
These bishops form the Benelux Orthodox Bishops’ Conference, together with those responsible for the Romanian, Serbian and Bulgarian parishes, even if they reside elsewhere (in France in particular). As Brussels is the seat of many European and international institutions, the EU Representations of various Orthodox Churches have also set up offices there.
In accordance with the Belgian legal framework as concerns religions, the Orthodox Church has been recognised by the State in the same way as the Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Jewish and Muslim faiths. It therefore enjoys the benefits (salaries, subsidies) of this official recognition.

Further information :
 MODEL Serge, L’Église orthodoxe en Belgique, Bruxelles, Courrier hebdomadaire du CRISP, 2018.
 Belgique : un panorama sur la situation de l’Église orthodoxe, Religioscope, 16 May 2019.

D 23 January 2020   

Buddhism

According to the 2018 report of the Observatory of Religions and Secularism concerning Belgium, the religious currents from Asia and especially Buddhism are increasingly appreciated by Belgians. (...)

According to the 2018 report of the Observatory of Religions and Secularism concerning Belgium, the religious currents from Asia and especially Buddhism are increasingly appreciated by Belgians. Buddhism is represented by thirty associations which are listed by the Belgian Buddhist Union (UBB, federation of Buddhist associations in Belgium) belonging to the great traditions of Buddhism or more contemporary schools. All three streams of Buddhism are represented: the Theravada stream (six associations offer various practices such as vipassana or other practices from the Burmese, Thai or Indian traditions), the Mahayana stream (ten associations offer Zen Buddhist teachings from the Japanese and Vietnamese traditions) and the Vajrayana stream (thirteen associations whose practices mostly come from one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism). Zen Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism appear to be more particularly practised by the Belgian public.

Each of these associations offers a variety of activities such as meditation, philosophy workshops, permaculture, or Chinese gymnastics such as Qi Gong. Some of them have become major centres of welcome in Belgium such as the vast spiritual retreat centre Les jardins de méditation de Samyé, run by the Kagyu Samye Ling Belgium group since 2016 (Tibetan Buddhism).

On 20 March 2006, the Belgian Buddhist Union submitted an application for official recognition of Buddhism in Belgium on the basis of Article 181 § 2. On 2 April 2019, a bill to this end was tabled in the House of Representatives. The intention of the UBB is to represent the practising community and position itself as an intermediary between its members, the Belgian public and Belgian institutions. The UBB already organises training courses for the Buddhist counsellor certificate in correctional and hospital environments.

A study carried out in 2008 by the company Phonecom reveals that Buddhism in Belgium is a source of inspiration for 5% of the population and that the number of people who seek moral support in accordance with a Buddhist vision is estimated at more than 100,000. There are more than 20,000 practising Buddhists in Brussels alone.

Pour plus d’information :
 DE BRACKER, Bernard, « Bouddhismes en Belgique », Courrier Hebdomadaire du CRISP, n° 1768-1769, 2002.
 FRANKEN Leni, "La reconnaissance du bouddhisme : le chemin de l’illumination ?", ORELA, 2 avril 2021

D 3 March 2020    AStéphanie Conrad

CNRS Unistra Dres Gsrl

Follow us:
© 2002-2024 eurel - Contact