The Plenary Assembly of the German Bishops’ Conference today (September 26, 2023) elected the Bishop of Fulda, Bishop Dr Michael Gerber, as its new Vice-President. Bishop Gerber succeeds Bishop emeritus Dr Franz-Josef Bode, who retired a few months ago.

Bishop Gerber first became auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Freiburg in 2013 and has been Bishop of Fulda since 2019. In the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Gerber is also chairman of the Commission on Consecrated Life and Church Ministries as well as a member of the Youth Commission and the episcopal team of experts for questions of sexual abuse and experiences of violence.

He has been involved in the Schoenstatt Movement since his youth and joined the Secular Institute of the Schoenstatt Diocesan Priests during his studies. From 2005 to 2013 he was a member of the General Council of the international priests’ community.

The German Bishops’ Conference is an association of the Catholic Bishops of all (arch)dioceses in Germany. It currently has 65 members (as of September 2023) from the 27 German (arch)dioceses. It was established to promote common pastoral tasks, to coordinate the work of the church, to jointly issue decisions and to maintain contact with other bishops’ conferences. The highest body of the German Bishops’ Conference is the plenary assembly of all bishops, which meets regularly for several days in spring and autumn.

With information from dbk.de

Bishop Dr Michael Gerber Institute of Diocesan Priests