Bishop Heiner Wilmer elected new leader of German Bishops' Conference
Bishop Heiner Wilmer has been elected the new chairman of the German Bishops' Conference. The vote took place in Würzburg on 24 February 2026, marking the start of a six-year term. He succeeds Bishop Georg Bätzing in the role, which carries both representational and executive responsibilities.
Born in 1961 in Schapen, Emsland, Wilmer joined the Society of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1980. He was ordained a priest in 1987 before furthering his studies in Rome and Freiburg until 1993. Over the years, he took on leadership positions, including principal of Leoninum Gymnasium in Handrup and provincial superior of the German province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Bonn.
In 2018, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Hildesheim. Since then, he has chaired the German Bishops' Conference Commission for Social and Societal Affairs. His new role as chairman requires him to represent the conference externally while adhering to its decisions. The position also allows him to act independently in urgent matters, with the deputy chairman stepping in if he is unable to perform his duties. As of mid-March 2026, three weeks into his term, no notable shifts in public perception or policy focus have been documented.
Wilmer's election secures his leadership of the German Bishops' Conference until 2032. The role includes both formal representation and decision-making authority, with defined procedures for delegation in his absence. His background in education, provincial governance, and social affairs shapes his approach to the position.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
