Christian Würtz becomes the new Bishop of Eichstätt

The diocese of Eichstätt has a bishop again: Christian Würtz, previously auxiliary bishop in Freiburg, will officially take up his new office in a service on Sunday (1:30 p.m.) in Eichstätt Cathedral. The 55-year-old is currently the youngest diocesan bishop in Germany.

Since Würtz had already been ordained bishop in 2019, an ordination ceremony is no longer necessary. At the beginning of the service, the Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, will present the papal certificate of appointment. Then Würtz takes a seat on the bishop's chair.

Fellow bishops such as Herwig Gössl from Bamberg, Cardinal Reinhard Marx from Munich, Stephan Burger from Freiburg and Michael Gerber from Fulda are expected to attend the inauguration. According to the diocese, Prime Minister Markus Söder and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) also want to celebrate the service.

Würtz's predecessor Gregor Maria Hanke resigned from office in June 2025. In July, the Vatican published Pope Leo XIV's decision as to who should become the new Eichstätt bishop.