Würzburg. The Bishop of Hildesheim has been elected chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, the assembly of all diocesan and auxiliary bishops in Germany. Bishop Heiner Wilmer SCJ belongs to the Priests of the Sacred Heart and previously served as Superior General. The institute is also known as the Dehonians or as the Community of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic religious congregation. The French priest Léon Gustave Dehon (1843–1925) founded the order in 1878.
As a religious active at an international level, Father Heiner Wilmer is familiar with the situation of the Church in Germany as well as that of the universal Church. He comes from the Emsland region in northern Germany, north-west of the city of Osnabrück and bordering the Netherlands, and maintains a strong international network. The new chairman is also well acquainted with the Vatican, as the generalate of his order – where he lived for several years – is located in Rome. With today’s election, he succeeds Bishop Georg Bätzing and will represent the German Bishops’ Conference externally for the next six years.
From Emsland to the Bronx
Wilmer was born on 9 April 1961 in Schapen in Emsland. In August 1980, he entered the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and took his perpetual vows in 1985. He was ordained to the priesthood in Freiburg on 31 May 1987. From 1987 to 1993, he pursued further studies in Rome and Freiburg. After serving as a trainee teacher and later as a teacher in Meppen, Vechta and the Bronx in New York, he became headmaster of the Leoninum grammar school in Handrup in Emsland.
From 2007 to 2015, he served as Provincial of the German Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Bonn and subsequently, until 2018, as Superior General of the order in Rome. On 6 April 2018, Heiner Wilmer was appointed the 71st Bishop of Hildesheim by Pope Francis. On 1 September 2018, he was consecrated bishop and installed in office.
Since September 2021, he has chaired the Commission for Social Issues of the German Bishops’ Conference. From 2019 to 2024, he headed the German Commission for Justice and Peace. The new chairman opened his address with the first words of the Gloria, a prayer from the Holy Mass, and thanked his fellow bishops for their trust. He also expressed his gratitude to his predecessor, Bishop Georg Bätzing, who led the conference for six years.
Personal words at the outset
‘My thanks go to all the faithful,’ said the new bishop, ‘who have prayed to the Holy Spirit in recent days and weeks for a good decision.’ He knew that many had lit a candle. Their testimony, hope and love had moved him.
Wilmer addressed the Catholics in the country: ‘You are the living face of the Church, in parish associations, Caritas, schools and families. In silent prayer, you carry the faith. Our faith is a source of strength and breadth. It provides support, it connects generations, it opens up spaces of hope, and we live this hope that God carries us in ecumenical solidarity with all our Protestant and Orthodox sisters and brothers, as well as with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters.’
With the late Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, he emphasised the value of synodality. According to Wilmer, special mention should be made of those who have experienced sexual abuse in the Church. ‘Their voices carry weight,’ he said. The bishop continued his opening statement with a call for peace, especially in Ukraine, on the fourth anniversary of the start of the war. He recalled four years of suffering and destruction.
The new chairman said it was important to lead the Church consciously and humbly into a new era. There was great diversity in how people lived out the Gospel, yet what united them was their following of Jesus Christ. ‘Our Christian message is that there is a hope that is greater than naive optimism,’ the bishop concluded. The Secretary General of the German Bishops’ Conference, Beate Gilles, and the press spokesman, Matthias Kopp, were also confirmed in office.
The Secretary General assists the Chairman in the fulfilment of his duties and supports the other German bishops in matters relating to the Conference. In particular, the office is responsible for preparing the meetings of the Plenary Assembly and the Permanent Council and for carrying out the necessary follow-up work.