Léon de Lantsheere

This chapter disclosed the career of the Catholic jurist Léon de Lantsheere (1862-1912) as both as an academic involved in teaching and wide-ranging scholarly research, a Christian-democrat activist and as a politician and policy-maker. As one of the first doctoral students of Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926) De Lantsheere fully embraced the later Archbishop's ambition to sculpt an integrated or mitigated modernity by encouraging the Church and the Catholic elites to turn towards the popular classes and enter into a dialogue with modern society and science, incorporating their innovations, but all this moderately and circumspectly, in order to secure a harmonious synthesis with Catholic teachings and tradition. His literacy in many different domains impressed both his colleagues and students. De Lantsheere labelled himself as a member of what he called the “neo-classical school of criminal law". He was willing to incorporate the findings of sociology, criminology and other modern sciences but also expressed his confidence that the ongoing "shock of ideas" facilitated the "rejuvenation and revitalization" of older concepts and ideas. Together with his Brussels Christian Democrat friends, de Lantsheere caused a new wind to blow in the somewhat stuffy Catholic Party and thus in Belgian politics. Their plea for a social and democratic turn in policy led to much turbulence and conflict, but was finally acknowledged.

ISBN:9781108555388

Jaar van publicatie:2021