Dominicus Meier named as the succeeding Bishop of Osnabrück.

Religious establishment - Dominicus Meier named as the succeeding Bishop of Osnabrück.

Michael Meier, a 64-year-old former auxiliary bishop in Paderborn, is set to be the new bishop in the Osnabrück Diocese. This announcement was made by the diocese on Tuesday, with the Vatican also confirming the appointment.

Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, who was 67, stepped down on March 25, 2023, and Pope Francis approved his resignation. Auxiliary Bishop Johannes Wübbe had been leading the diocese on a temporary basis since then. Bode's reason for resignation was his mishandling of sexual abuse cases during his 27-year tenure, making him the first German bishop to resign due to the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. The errors in his dealing with these cases were revealed in a report by a scientific commission from the University of Osnabrück last year.

Meier was born on July 10, 1959, in Sauerland and studied theology and philosophy in Würzburg and Münster. He was ordained as a priest in 1989. In 2021, he was appointed as a judge at the highest church court, the Apostolic Signature, based in Rome, and answerable to the Pope.

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1. The Resignation of Bishop Bode was approved by Pope Francis, who is from Italy and serves as the leader of the Catholic Church, following his handling of sexual abuse cases in the Diocese of Osnabrück, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
2. The Pope's approval of Bode's resignation marked a significant moment in the history of the Catholic Church in Germany, as Bode became the first bishop to step down due to an abuse scandal.
3. The report revealing Bode's errors in dealing with sexual abuse cases was conducted by a scientific commission from the University of Osnabrück, located in Lower Saxony, Germany.
4. Michael Meier, the new Bishop of Osnabrück, has a background in theology and philosophy, having studied in Würzburg and Münster, before being ordained as a priest in 1989.
5. Franz-Johannes Wübbe, an auxiliary bishop in Paderborn, served as the temporary leader of the Osnabrück Diocese following Bode's resignation.
6. Meier, who was born in Sauerland, Germany, was appointed as a judge at the Apostolic Signature, based in Rome, in 2021, answering directly to the Pope.
7. The Pope's appointment of Meier as the new Bishop of Osnabrück follows the abuse scandal that led to the resignation of Bishop Bode, signaling a potential shift in how the Catholic Church handles similar situations in the future.

Source: www.stern.de