William Damasus Lindanus

William Damasus Lindanus (or Van der Lindt) (1525 – 2 November 1588) was a 16th-century Bishop of Roermond and Bishop of Ghent.

William Damasus Lindanus was born at Dordrecht in 1525, the son of Damasus van der Lint. He studied philosophy and theology at the University of Leuven, and having during this time applied himself also to Greek and Hebrew, went to Paris to perfect himself in these languages. In 1552 he won the licenciate at Leuven, and the same year was ordained to the priesthood. Two years later, he was appointed professor of Sacred Scripture at the University of Dillingen.

In 1556, he took the doctor's degree at Leuven, and was appointed vicar-general to the Bishop of Utrecht and dean of the chapter at The Hague. Soon afterwards he became a royal counsellor and inquisitor in Friesland. In 1562, the Habsburg king Philip II of Spain designated Lindanus for the newly erected See of Roermond, and the following year, on 4 April, he was consecrated in Brussels by Cardinal Granvelle. He was, however, unable to enter his diocese until 11 May 1569. The erection of this bishopric had caused displeasure throughout the Low Countries, especially in the country of Guelders, of which Ruremonde was a part: where every act of the royal authority excited defiance. The Protestants were dissatisfied with the appointment of Lindanus, who was a staunch defender of the Catholic faith. The new bishop began at once to reform his diocese, assisted in person at the Provincial Synods of Mechlin (1570) and of Leuven (1573) and carried out the Contrareformation laws and regulations of the Council of Trent.

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