The Malines Congresses were a series of Catholic Congresses held in Mechelen (French: Malines), Belgium, with the purpose of bringing together Catholics with leading roles in all walks of life, on the model of the German Katholikentage.[1] The first three, held in 1863, 1864 and 1867, had considerable cultural, social and political impact.[2] They lay at the foundation of the future development of a Catholic Party in Belgian politics,[3] as well as a nascent Social Catholicism.[4] The first congress saw the establishment of the Guild of Saint Thomas and Saint Luke, which shaped Belgian Gothic Revival architecture and art education.[5] The main organiser of the first three congresses was Édouard Ducpétiaux, who died in 1868.[6] They were hosted in Mechelen by the archbishop, Engelbert Sterckx, who died in December 1867,[4] although much of the practical management fell to Isidore-Joseph du Rousseaux, a teacher at the junior seminary where many of the sessions were held.[7]
Further congresses were held in 1891, 1909,[8] and 1936.
First Congress
The first Catholic Congress in Mechelen was held from 18 to 22 August 1863.[1] The main speakers invited were Cardinal Wiseman, who spoke on the condition of Catholics in England, and Charles de Montalembert, who spoke on the principle of religious liberty.[9]
Second Congress
The second congress was held from 29 August to 3 September 1864.[1] For the occasion, an exhibition of ecclesiastical art was organised in Mechelen through to the end of September.[10]
Third Congress
The third congress was held from 2 to 7 September 1867.[1] It led directly to the 1868 founding of a Federation of Belgian Catholic Workers' Associations (a precursor of the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions).[11]
Sixth Congress
The sixth congress was held in 1936. On 10 September, Georges Lemaître delivered an address on Catholic culture and exact science.[12] The papers delivered to the sixth congress were published in French and in Dutch as an eight-volume series entitled Actes du VIe Congrès catholique de Malines and Verhandelingen van het VIe Katholiek Kongres van Mechelen respectively.