Amsterdam unwraps papal ‘birthday gift’: St. Nicholas Basilica is named co-cathedral

AMSTERDAM (OSV News) — The elevation Mass of St. Nicholas Basilica in Amsterdam to co-cathedral attracted a large crowd of attendees and dignitaries from home and abroad to the Dutch capital on March 8.

It was presented as a “birthday gift” from Pope Francis to the city that celebrates its 750th anniversary in the midst of the Jubilee Year.

Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht and many other church officials, alongside national and provincial government officials, and the ambassadors of Hungary and Ecuador were there to witness the moment, with one visible absence — of Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema — seen as “embarrassing” for many people in the pews.

The historical context, laid out by Bishop Johannes Hendriks of Haarlem-Amsterdam touched on the reasons why the mayor could be absent in the symbolic “unwrapping” of a gift from the pope.

He said “Catholics were second-class citizens for centuries” following the Protestant Reformation. “They were not allowed to hold public office, the Catholic Church could not own property, churches were confiscated, Catholics gathered in clandestine churches, converted (from) private homes, where they were usually tolerated in exchange for a lump sum,” Bishop Hendriks said.

It was in this situation that plans were forged nearly two centuries ago for a cathedral — and thus bishop’s seat — in Amsterdam. But it was only in 2008 that the name of Amsterdam was formally added to that of the diocese of the nearby city of Haarlem, and only now Amsterdam has a co-cathedral of its own — a second seat of the bishop alongside the one in Haarlem’s St. Bavo Cathedral.

“We are grateful,” Bishop Hendriks says, “that we can conclude that long history in this way. May this day be a sign that as a Catholic Church we would like to participate fully in society, particularly in this colorful capital with its many cultures and rich history, and that we would like to bear witness here to and commit ourselves to what is at the core of our faith: love of God and love of our neighbor.”

On March 8, St. Nicholas’ co-cathedral seemed beaming with joy with festive music and decorations. A message repeated in various ways is that the Catholic Church in Amsterdam is itself a gift to all the people of the Dutch capital, with its many beautiful places of worship, projects for people in the margins, and its unrelenting commitment to a city that is so multicultural and multireligious.

Asked why Halsema was not there to celebrate, her spokesperson said in a written response to the Dutch Catholic newspaper Katholiek Nieuwsblad: “We understand the disappointment,” adding that “the mayor shares that disappointment,” but she “could not attend due to other commitments.”

The spokesperson said the mayor sent a letter of congratulations to the dean and all parishioners “on this honorable gift from Pope Francis, commenting on the cathedral’s great significance for the city of Amsterdam and explaining that she was unfortunately unable to attend.”

The spokesman stressed that Halsema is in “good contact” with the chancellor of the diocese, Father Eric Fennis.

Asked why a replacement had not been sent, Halsema’s spokesman said that “the invitation to attend Mass was addressed to her personally and there has been no subsequent contact about possible replacement.”

That the commitment of the Catholic community in Amsterdam is indeed seen and appreciated by the civil authorities was voiced however by Arthur van Dijk, the King’s Commissioner and head of the provincial government in North-Holland.

A self-proclaimed “cultural Catholic,” he said in his speech that he increasingly values the church as a place of hope and connection. It’s “not a given” in our time, Van Dijk added, referring explicitly to the November 2024 riots in Amsterdam after the soccer game between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which attracted international attention because of its antisemitic overtones.

“By now the city is a lot calmer again, and I think we are very relieved about that. Because Amsterdam is precisely the city where we should feel safe. Where there has always been room for people of different faiths.”

According to Van Dijk, religious leaders in particular have played an important role in calming tempers. “The churches opened up to dialogue and prayed for peace and understanding,” he said.

“That is the way to do it and to find and restore the connection we are always looking for. In these times it is necessary that precisely the ‘soft powers’ know how to find each other and join forces.”

With this new co-cathedral, Van Dijk concluded in his speech, “the city of faith, hope and love” — Amsterdam — has become “even more complete than it already was.”

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