Rudolf Voderholzer (October 9, 1959) is a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman 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 ...

. He is

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of Regensburg since 2012.

Life

Born in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, Voderholzer studied at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich where he received an MA in 1985 and a diploma in theology in 1986. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood on June 17, 1987, by Friedrich Cardinal Wetter serving in Munich and Freising. He worked as a chaplain in Traunreut, Haar and Zorneding. In 1992 he became an assistant at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich to

Gerhard Ludwig Müller Gerhard Ludwig Müller (; born 31 December 1947) is a German cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) from his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 until 2017. He was e ...

, professor in

Dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Ch ...

, acquiring a doctorate in theology in 1997. In 2004 he finished his habilitation period, and that same year he started working in the department for belief- and religionsciences and philosophy at the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisi ...

, where he was head of department from 2004 till 2005. From 2005 till 2013 he was professor of Dogmatics and history of dogma at the theological faculty of the

University of Trier The University of Trier (german: Universität Trier), in the German city of Trier, was founded in 1473. Closed in 1798 by order of the then French administration in Trier, the university was re-established in 1970 after a hiatus of some 172 y ...

. On December 6, 2012, he was appointed bishop of Regensburg. Voderholzer received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on January 26, 2013, from Reinhard Cardinal Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, with the former bishop of Regensburg,

; and the bishop of Plzeň, František Radkovsky, serving as co-consecrators. He chose the motto ''Christus in vobis spes gloriae''. In 2017, it was reported that at least 547 boys in the prestigious Domspatzen choir were physically abused, sexually abused or both between the years 1945 and 1992 and that Voderholzer announced plans to offer victims compensation of between 5,000 and 20,000 euros ($5,730 US and $22,930) each by the end of the year.

References

External links

Entry about Rudolf Voderholzer at ''catholic-hierarchy.org''
1959 births 21st-century German Roman Catholic bishops 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Germany Roman Catholic bishops of Regensburg Living people {{Germany-RC-bishop-stub