The Diocese of Essen is a bishopric of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, founded on 1 January 1958. The Bishop of Essen is seated in
Essen Cathedral
Essen Minster (German: ), since 1958 also Essen Cathedral () is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Essen, the "Diocese of the Ruhr", founded in 1958. The church, dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian and the Blessed Virgin Mary, stands on ...
(''Essener Dom'' or ''Essener Münster''), once the church of
Essen Abbey
Essen Abbey (''Stift Essen'') was a community of secular canonesses for women of high nobility that formed the nucleus of modern-day Essen, Germany. It was founded about 845 by the Saxon Altfrid (died 874), later Bishop of Hildesheim and saint, ...
, and over one thousand years old.
The diocese contains about one million Catholics in the heavily urbanized and industrial
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
.
Official website of the XX WYD 2005: Map of Archdioceses and Dioceses / Information / Pilgrimage Sites
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Bishops
*Franz Hengsbach
Franz Hengsbach (10 September 1910 – 24 June 1991) was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Essen from 1957 to 1991, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1988.
Biography
Franz Hengsbach was born in ...
(1957–1991)
*Hubert Luthe Hubert Luthe (22 May 1927 – 4 February 2014) was a German Roman Catholic bishop.
Ordained to the priesthood in 1951, Luthe was appointed titular bishop of ''Egabro'' and auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany. In 1 ...
(1991–2002)
*Felix Genn
Felix Genn (born 6 March 1950) is a German bishop of the Catholic Church who is currently the Bishop of Münster. Previously, he was the Bishop of Essen and, prior to that, was an Auxiliary Bishop of Trier. Since 2013, he has been a member of the ...
(2003–2008)
* Franz-Josef Overbeck (since 20 December 2009); he was appointed Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Germany
The Military Ordinariate of Germany (german: Katholische Militärseelsorge; ''Deutsches Militärordinariat'') is a military ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Roman Cathol ...
, while remaining Bishop of Essen, by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
on 24 February 2011.
Auxiliary bishops
* Ludger Schepers
Wilhelm Zimmermann
See also
*Essen
Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
Notes
External links
GCatholic.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essen
Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany
Christian organizations established in 1958
1958 establishments in West Germany