Conference of the German Bishops
Encyclopedia
The German Bishops' Conference is the episcopal conference
of the bishops
of the Roman
Catholic diocese
s in Germany
. Members include diocesan bishop
s, coadjutors, auxiliary bishop
s, and diocesan administrators.
The first meeting of the German bishops took place in Würzburg
in 1848, and in 1867 the Fulda
Conference of Bishops was established, which reorganized as German Bishops' Conference in 1966. The annual conference of the German bishops still takes place in Fulda.
After the construction of the Berlin Wall
the ordinaries
in the East German Democratic Republic
(GDR) were inhibited to participate in the Fulda Conference of Bishops. In 1974 the GDR formally suggested talks with the Holy See
. As one of the outcomes the Berlin
Conference of Bishops was established for the East German ordinaries on 26 July 1976. The Diocese of Berlin, also comprising West Berlin
, was thereafter represented in the German Bishops' Conference and the Berlin Conference alike, in the former by its vicar general
, in the latter by the bishop personally. The Catholic Church did not consider the Berlin Conference as a national Bishops' Conference, since the Holy See officially conceived the East German ordinaries as part of the German Bishops' Conference as papally confirmed by its statute on 26 September 1976. East Germany's diocesan structure was complicated. Since 1972 three sees had their seat in East Germany, the dioceses of Berlin and of Dresden-Meissen and the Apostolic Administration of Görlitz. The rest of East Germany belonged to dioceses seated in West Germany
, which appointed commissaries for the East German parts of their dioceses. The Berlin Conference was disestablished in 1990.
Episcopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...
of the bishops
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
of the Roman
Roman Catholic (term)
The term Roman Catholic appeared in the English language at the beginning of the 17th century, to differentiate specific groups of Christians in communion with the Pope from others; comparable terms in other languages already existed...
Catholic diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Members include diocesan bishop
Diocesan bishop
A diocesan bishop — in general — is a bishop in charge of a diocese. These are to be distinguished from suffragan bishops, assistant bishops, coadjutor bishops, auxiliary bishops, metropolitans, and primates....
s, coadjutors, auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
s, and diocesan administrators.
The first meeting of the German bishops took place in Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
in 1848, and in 1867 the Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
Conference of Bishops was established, which reorganized as German Bishops' Conference in 1966. The annual conference of the German bishops still takes place in Fulda.
After the construction of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
the ordinaries
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
in the East German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
(GDR) were inhibited to participate in the Fulda Conference of Bishops. In 1974 the GDR formally suggested talks with the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. As one of the outcomes the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
Conference of Bishops was established for the East German ordinaries on 26 July 1976. The Diocese of Berlin, also comprising West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, was thereafter represented in the German Bishops' Conference and the Berlin Conference alike, in the former by its vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
, in the latter by the bishop personally. The Catholic Church did not consider the Berlin Conference as a national Bishops' Conference, since the Holy See officially conceived the East German ordinaries as part of the German Bishops' Conference as papally confirmed by its statute on 26 September 1976. East Germany's diocesan structure was complicated. Since 1972 three sees had their seat in East Germany, the dioceses of Berlin and of Dresden-Meissen and the Apostolic Administration of Görlitz. The rest of East Germany belonged to dioceses seated in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, which appointed commissaries for the East German parts of their dioceses. The Berlin Conference was disestablished in 1990.
Fulda Conference of Bishops (till 1965)
- Johannes von GeisselJohannes von GeisselJohannes von Geissel was a German Catholic Archbishop of Cologne and Cardinal.-Life:Gessel was born in Gimmeldingen in the Electoral Palatinate....
, Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne (1848) - Paulus Melchers, Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne (1867-1883)
- Philipp KrementzPhilipp KrementzPhilipp Krementz was a German Catholic bishop, created Cardinal in 1893.He was bishop of Ermland from 1867, and headed the Fulda Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1884 to 1896. He became Archbishop of Cologne in 1885.-External links:*...
, Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne (1884-1896) - Georg von KoppGeorg von KoppGeorg von Kopp was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Furda and Prince-Bishop of Breslau .-Biography:...
, Cardinal Prince-Bishop of Breslau (1897-1913) - Felix von Hartmann, Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne (1914-1919)
- Adolf Bertram, Cardinal Prince-Archbishop of Breslau (1920-1945)
- Josef Frings, Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne (1945-1965)
German Bishops' Conference (since 1966)
- Julius DöpfnerJulius DöpfnerJulius August Döpfner was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1961 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958.-Early life and ordination:...
, Cardinal Archbishop of Munich-Freising (1965-1976) - Joseph Höffner, Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne (1976-1987)
- Karl Lehmann, Cardinal Bishop of Mainz (1987-2008)
- Robert ZollitschRobert ZollitschRobert Zollitsch is a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau and Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference.-Life and work:...
, Archbishop of Freiburg (18 February 2008- )
Chairmen of the Berlin Conference of Bishops (1976-1990)
- Alfred BengschAlfred BengschAlfred Bengsch was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Berlin from 1961 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967....
, Bishop of Berlin (1976–1979) - Gerhard Schaffran, Bishop of Dresden-Meissen (1980–1982)
- Joachim Meisner, Bishop of Berlin (1982–1989)
- Joachim Wanke, Administrator Apostolic of the Episcopal Office in Erfurt-Meiningen (1989, per pro)
- Georg Sterzinsky, Bishop of Berlin (1989–1990)
Ecclesiastical provinces
External links
- Deutsche Bischofskonferenz official website (GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) - German Bishops' Conference webpage. GCatholic.com website