During the annual Symposium of the Belgian Catholic Medical Association of Saint Luke, Dr. Bernard Ars, outgoing president of the Belgian Society and current president of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) received, from the hands of the Belgian Archbishop, Cardinal Jozef De Kesel, the Holy See decoration Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.
Dr. Bernard Ars is almost 20 years member and 14 years president of the Belgian Medical Society of St. Luke, past and founding president of the European Institute of Bioethics (IEB), vice-president of the European Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FEAMC) and – as mentioned – president of the World Federation, FIAMC. He is also member of the Catholic Academy of France.
Dr. Ars has always been concerned about the “personalization” of medicine. On this subject, he published three collective works: “The Meaning of Medicine: the human person”, “Suffering and dignity” and “Fragilité. Dis nous ta grandeur!“.
Main speaker at the symposium of October 12th, in the Abbey of Grimbergen, was Dr. José-María Simón Castellví, ophthalmologist from Barcelona and past-president of the World Federation, FIAMC. His lecture was entitled: “Being Physician and Catholic, today”.
As president of the Belgian Catholic Medical Association of Sint Luke, Dr. Ars will be succeeded by Dr. Henri Marechal, general practitioner in Anderlecht, Brussels.
Cardinal De Kesel presided over the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and expressed his appreciation for the symposium, that allows him – as the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels – to be in close contact with professionally and religiously practicing catholic physicians.
Vincent Kemme