#EU #Belgium – A passage from the Quran was chanted in Arabic during the opening Mass of the 2026–27 academic year at KU Leuven on Sept. 16, 2026. The liturgy, held in St. Peter’s Church, formed part of the university’s traditional start-of-year ceremonies and later drew widespread criticism from Catholic students, commentators, and some Belgian politicians.
A young man stood at the lectern and recited verses from Surah Ash-Shu’ara (The Poets), chapter 26, verses 69–70: “And relate to them the story of Abraham, when he asked his father and his people, ‘What do you worship?’” A video of the recitation circulated rapidly on social media in the following days.
Organizers described the chant as an element of interreligious dialogue. The university had also scheduled a reading from Jewish text (i.e. Talmud), but that portion was removed shortly before the service. After the Islamic passage, readings associated with Protestant traditions were delivered in Flemish and English. Student witnesses and organizers noted that a similar Islamic recitation had taken place at the previous year’s opening Mass.
Jesuit Father Jacques Haers, a member of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies and former chair of the Centre for Liberation Theologies, presided over the Eucharist. Professor Martijn Steegen, a married layman who served as head chaplain and director of the University Parish, delivered the homily while wearing a V-shaped red cloth resembling a stole. Two women wearing similar red vestments stood with the men behind the altar during parts of the liturgy. Archbishop Luc Terlinden of Mechelen-Brussels attended and sat in the front row.
The Flemish Catholic student group KVHV-Leuven recorded the Mass and released the footage. The group said the university was attempting to fabricate a “middleground” between religions it regarded as incompatible at their core. Dialogue and religious criticism belonged in academic centers, not during the Eucharist, the students argued. “We wish our university, and our bishops, to give the church back to the Christians and to leave the mosques for Muslims,” the group stated. “Then, and only then, we can have a proper dialogue and exchanging of cultures between religions.”
Belgian lawmaker Jeroen Bergers denounced the service, writing that “woke is going crazy at our universities” and citing the Mass as an example of entrenched left-wing ideology in academia. German Catholic commentator David Berger said a Catholic Mass should not become an “interreligious playground.” Canadian author Gad Saad described the episode as another instance of “suicidal empathy.”
KU Leuven had already begun adapting the opening liturgy in prior years. Former rector Lieven Boeve told the university newspaper that the Eucharist remained Catholic while opening itself to other worldviews, a policy that had allowed Protestant, Anglican, and Muslim contributions in previous ceremonies. The university did not immediately issue a detailed public response after the 2026 video spread.
Supporters of the practice framed it as inclusive dialogue consistent with the institution’s evolving mission.
Cover Image: A still image from the viral video where a young male is seen reciting from the ambo.
