The Diocese of Osnabrück is a

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

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 ...

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 ...

."Diocese of Osnabrück"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Diocese of Osnabrück"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 The diocese was originally founded circa 800. It should not be confused with the smaller

Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück The Prince-Bishopric of OsnabrückAlso known as the Prince-Bishopric of Osnaburg) (german: link=no, Hochstift Osnabrück; Fürstbistum Osnabrück, Bistum Osnabrück) was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1225 until 1803. ...

–an ecclesiastical principality of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

until 1803–over which the bishop, as prince-bishop, exercised both temporal and spiritual authority.

History

The Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück

The diocese was erected in 772 and it is certainly the oldest see founded by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

, in order to Christianize the conquered

stem-duchy A stem duchy (german: Stammesherzogtum, from '':wikt:Stamm, Stamm'', meaning "tribe", in reference to the Franks, Saxons, Baiuvarii, Bavarians and Alemanni, Swabians) was a constituent duchy of the Kingdom of Germany, German Empire at the time of ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

. The first bishop of Osnabrück was Saint Wilho (785–804); the second bishop, Meginhard or Meingoz (804–33), was the real organizer of the see. Osnabrück diocese was originally a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

to the

Archdiocese of Cologne The Archdiocese of Cologne ( la, Archidioecesis Coloniensis; german: Erzbistum Köln) is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. History The Electorate of Cologn ...

(until 1824). The temporal possessions of the see, originally quite limited, grew in time, and its prince-bishops exercised an extensive civil jurisdiction within the territory covered by their rights of

immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity desc ...

. The prince-bishopric continued to grow in size, making its status during the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

a highly contentious issue. During the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

of the 16th century, Osnabrück did not remain completely Catholic nor switch to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. Instead, each parish decided on its own which elements of Protestantism it took over. This unique state of affairs ended with the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...

(1648), which froze the parishes at their religious status as of 1624. From then on, the bishops alternated between

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

and Catholic office holders. While the prince-bishopric was ruled by a Protestant bishop, the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

would oversee the exercise of the Catholic religion in Osnabrück. The Protestant bishops were selected from the neighboring Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, with priority given to the cadets of what became the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house orig ...

. The last Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück, the Lutheran

Prince Frederick of Great Britain Prince Frederick William of Great Britain (13 May 1750 – 29 December 1765) was a grandchild of King George II and the youngest brother of King George III. He was the youngest son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Goth ...

(1764–1803), was made Bishop in 1764 when he was only 197 days old. At the time, he was the younger of two sons of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

, giving him the strongest claim to election as prince-bishop. In the

German Mediatisation German mediatisation (; german: deutsche Mediatisierung) was the major territorial restructuring that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany and the surrounding region by means of the mass mediatisation and secularisation of a large number ...

of 1803, the bishopric was dissolved and given to the

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

branch of Brunswick-Lüneburg; the see, the chapter, the convents and the Catholic charitable institutions were finally secularized. The territory of the see passed to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

in 1806, to the

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a kingdom in Germany, with a population of 2.6 million, that existed from 1807 to 1813. It included territory in Hesse and other parts of present-day Germany. While formally independent, it was a vassal state of the ...

in 1807, to

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

France in 1810, and again to Hanover in 1814.

Klemens von Gruben Klemens is a masculine given name derived from Clemens. It may refer to the following people: * Klemens of Brzeźnica (died 1241), Polish nobleman, Voivode of Opole and Castellan of Kraków * Klemens Janicki (1516–1543), Polish poet * Klemens vo ...

titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Paros Paros (; el, Πάρος; Venetian: ''Paro'') is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of ...

, was made

vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

, and as such cared for the spiritual interests of the Catholic population.

The restoration of the diocese

Under

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...

the papal bull ' (26 March 1824) re-established the See of Osnabrück as an exempt see, i.e., immediately subject to Rome. This Bull, recognized by the civil authority, promised that, for the present, the

Bishop of Hildesheim This list records the incumbents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hildesheim (german: link=no, Bistum Hildesheim). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Prince-Bishopric of ...

would be also Bishop of Osnabrück, but had to be represented at Osnabrück by a

vicar-general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

and an auxiliary bishop, and this lasted for thirty years. This diocese, comprised within the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover (german: Königreich Hannover) was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Han ...

, the

Landdrost {{Use dmy dates, date=December 2020 ''Landdrost'' was the title of various officials with local jurisdiction in the Netherlands and a number of former territories in the Dutch Empire. The term is a Dutch compound, with ''land'' meaning "region" and ...

eien (high-bailiwicks, governorates) of Osnabrück and

Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', stq, Aurk) is a town in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Aurich and is the second largest City in East Frisia, both i ...

(excepting

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

) and those parts of Hanover that were west of the River

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports of Bre ...

. In 1910 it numbered 12 deaneries, 108 parishes, 153 pastoral stations, 271 secular and 12 regular priests, with 204,500 Catholic faithful. The only religious communities of men were the Capuchin convent at Clemenswerth and the

Apostolic School An apostolic school is a missionary college of the Roman Catholic Church which trains the secular clergy for missionary work abroad. The first apostolic school was opened at Avignon in 1865 by Father de Foresta. His desire was to give boys with an e ...

of the

Marists The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM, commonly known as the Marist Fathers, is a men's Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right. It was founded by Jean-Claude Colin and a group of seminarians in L ...

at Meppen. The religious orders of women include

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

, Borromeans,

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they t ...

and others. As

Apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

, the bishop was

Vicar Apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of the Northern Missions of Germany and Prefect-Apostolic of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

(as of 1868). According to the Bull ' (26 March 1824), he was elected by the chapter of the cathedral, composed of a dean, six canons and four vicars, elected in turn by the bishop and by the chapter. Klemens von Gruben was succeeded by the auxiliary bishop Karl Anton von Lüpke, also administrator of the North German Missions. After his death new negotiations led to the endowment of a new independent see.

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

, with the consent of King

George V of Hanover en, George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus , house = Hanover , religion = Protestant , father = Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover , mother = Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz , birth_date = 27 May 1819 , ...

, appointed

Paulus Melchers Paul Melchers (6 January 1813 – 14 December 1895) was a Cardinal and Archbishop of Cologne. At the height of the '' Kulturkampf'' he took refuge in the Netherlands. Life Melchers was born in Münster. He studied law at Bonn (1830–33), ...

of Münster as bishop on 3 August 1857. In 1866 the territory of the diocese passed, with Hanover, to

(

Province of Hanover The Province of Hanover (german: Provinz Hannover) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, ...

); Melchers became

, and was succeeded in 1866 by Johannes Heinrich Beckmann (1866–78), who was succeeded by Bernhard Höting (1882–98) after a vacancy of four years owing to the

Kulturkampf (, 'culture struggle') was the conflict that took place from 1872 to 1878 between the Catholic Church led by Pope Pius IX and the government of Prussia led by Otto von Bismarck. The main issues were clerical control of education and ecclesiastic ...

. The next bishop (to 1911), Hubert Voss, was appointed 12 April 1899. In 1930, following the

Prussian Concordat The Prussian Concordat was a concordat signed between the Free State of Prussia and the Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Po ...

, the Prefecture of Schleswig-Holstein and the Northern Missions of Germany, comprising several Protestant areas of

Northern Germany Northern Germany (german: link=no, Norddeutschland) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony an ...

, were added to the diocese:

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II divided the Duchy of Mecklenburg between Schwerin and Strelitz. Ruled by the successors of the Nikloting Hous ...

Mecklenburg-Strelitz The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy in northern Germany consisting of the eastern fifth of the historic Mecklenburg region, roughly corresponding with the present-day Mecklenburg-Strelitz district (the former Lordship of Stargard), ...

and

Schaumburg-Lippe Schaumburg-Lippe, also Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807, a free state in 1918, and was until 1946 a small state in Germany, located in the present day state of Lower Saxony, with its capital at Bück ...

(the latter ceded to Hildesheim diocese in 1965). On the same occasion Osnabrück became again a

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. In 1995, the northern parts of the Diocese (Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

) were made into the newly founded

Archdiocese of Hamburg The Archdiocese of Hamburg (Lat. ''Archidioecesis Hamburgensis''; Ger. Erzbistum Hamburg) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the north of Germany and covers the Federal States of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein as well as ...

. Osnabrück became subordinate to this Archdiocese of Hamburg. The current bishop is

Franz-Josef Bode Franz-Josef Hermann Bode (16 February 1951) is German prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Bishop of Osnabrück, Germany, since 1995. He has been a bishop since 1991 and Deputy Chairman of the German Bishops Conference since 2017. Within th ...

Incumbents of the see

Bishops

* 783–809: Wiho I (Wicho I; 783 to 1 April 809) * 810–829: Maynard (Meginhard; 810 to 12 April 829) * 829–845: Goswin * 845–860: Gosbert (845 to 11 April 860) * 860–887: Eckbert (860 to 1 February 887) * 887–906: Egilmar (887 to 11 May 906) * 906–918: Bernard I * 918–949: Dodo I (918 to 14 May 949) * 949–967: Drogo (949 to 7 November 967) * 967–978: Ludolf (967 to 31 March 978) * 978–996: Dodo II (978 to 12 April 996) ** 978–980: Kuno (counter-bishop) * 996–1000: Günther (996 to 27 November 1000) * 998–1003: Wodilulf (998 to 17 February 1003) * 1003–1022: Dietmar (1003 to 18 June 1022) * 1023–1027: Meginher (1023 to 10 December 1027) * 1028–1036: Gozmar (1028 to 10 December 1036) * 1036–1052: Alberich (1036 to 19 April 1052) * 1052–1067: Benno I (Werner; 1052–3 December 1067) * 1068–1088:

Benno II Benno may refer to: People Mononym * (927–940), saint * (1049–1061) *Benno I of Osnabrück (bishop, 1052–1067) *Benno of Meissen (bishop, 1066–1106), saint *Benno II of Osnabrück (bishop, 1068–1088) *Benno of Santi Martino e Silvestro ( ...

(also Bernard; 1068 to 27 July 1088) * 1088–1093: Marquard * 1093–1101: Wicho II (1093 to 21 April 1101) * 1101–1109: John I (1101 to 13 July 1109) * 1109–1119: Gottschalk of Diepholz (1109 to 1 January 1119) * 1119–1137: Diethard ** 1119–1125: Conrad (counter-bishop) * 1137–1141: Udo of Steinfurt (1137 to 28 June 1141) * 1141–1173: Philipp von Katzenelnbogen (1141 to 15 June 1173) ** 1141: Wezel (counter-bishop) * 1173–1190:

Arnold of Altena Arnold of Altena, count of Altena, count of Isenberg and Hövel, Vogt of Werden (1166–1209) was a son of Eberhard IV of Berg. He inherited the north-western territorium of Altena, and became 1st count of Isenberg in 1200. He married Mathilde ...

* 1190–1216:

Gerard I of Oldenburg-Wildeshausen Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this ca ...

* 1216–1224: Adolphus of Tecklenburg

Prince-bishops and administrators

Prince-Bishops of Osnabrück include: * 1224–1226: Engelbert I of Isenberg * 1206–1227: Otto I * 1227–1239: Conrad I of Velber * 1239–1250: Engelbert I of Isenberg * 1251–1258: Bruno of Isenberg * 1259–1264: Baldwin of Rüssel * 1265–1269: Widukind of Waldeck * 1270–1297: Conrad II of Rietberg * 1297–1308: Louis of Ravensberg * 1309–1320: Engelbert II of Weyhe * 1321–1349: Gottfried of Arnsberg * 1350–1366: John II Hoet * 1366–1376:

Melchior of Brunswick-Grubenhagen Melchior of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (died 1381 or 1384) was a German aristocrat, prince-bishop of Osnabrück from 1369, and then prince-bishop of Schwerin from 1376 to 1381. He was the son of Henry II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen Henry II, Duk ...

* 1376–1402: Dietrich of Horne * 1402–1410: Henry I of Schaumburg-Holstein * 1410–1424: Otto II of Hoya * 1424–1437: John III of Diepholz * 1437–1442: Eric of Hoya * 1442–1454: sede vacante ** 1442–1450: Henry of Moers (Catholic administrator; Nov 1441 Appointed – 2 Jun 1450 Died) ** 1450–1454: Albert of Hoya (Catholic administrator) * 1454–1455: Rudolf of Diepholz (30 Aug 1454 Appointed – 24 Mar 1455 Died) * 1455–1482: Conrad III of Diepholz (11 Jun 1455 Appointed – 21 May 1482 Died) * 1482–1508: Conrad IV of Rietberg (13 Jul 1482 Appointed – 9 Feb 1508 Died) * 1508–1532:

Eric of Brunswick-Grubenhagen Eric of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1478 – 14 May 1532 in Fürstenau) was from 1508 to 1532 prince-bishop of Paderborn and Osnabrück. In 1532, he was elected bishop of Münster, however, he died before he could be consecrated. Life Eric was t ...

(6 Mar 1508 Appointed – 14 May 1532 Died) * 1532–1553:

Francis of Waldeck Count Franz von Waldeck (1491 – 15 July 1553) was Prince-Bishop of Münster, Osnabrück, and Minden in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. He suppressed the Münster Rebellion, a millenarian Anabaptist theocratic ...

(11 Jun 1532 Appointed – 15 Jul 1553 Died; from 1543 on Lutheran) * 1553–1574:

John II of Hoya John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

zu Stolzenau † (5 Oct 1553 Appointed – 5 Apr 1574 Died) * 1574–1585: Henry II of Saxe-Lauenburg (Lutheran; 1574 Appointed – 3 May 1585 Died) * 1585: William of Schenking zu Bevern (30 Jul 1585 Appointed – 8 Aug 1585 Died) * 1585–1591: Bernard of Waldeck (25 Oct 1585 Appointed – 25 May 1588 Resigned) * 1591–1623: Philip Sigismund of Brunswick and Lunenburg (5 Jun 1591 Appointed – 19 Mar 1623 Died) * 1623–1625: Eitel Frederick of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (Catholic; 28 Apr 1623 Appointed – 19 Sep 1625 Died) * 1625–1634:

Francis of Wartenberg Franz Wilhelm, Count von Wartenberg (born at Munich, 1 March 1593; died at Ratisbon, 1 December 1661) was a Bavarian Catholic Bishop of Osnabrück, expelled from his see in the Thirty Years' War and later restored, and at the end of his life a C ...

(Catholic; 27 Oct 1625 Appointed – 1 Dec 1661 Died) * 1634–1648:

Gustav Gustavsson af Vasaborg Count Gustav Gustavsson of Vasaborg, 1st Count of Nystad (24 April 1616 – 25 October 1653) was a Swedish noble and military officer. Biography He was a son of King Gustavus Adolphus (''Gustav II Adolf'') and his mistress Margareta Slots. I ...

(Lutheran) * 1648–1661:

(Catholic) * 1662–1698: Ernest Augustus I of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Calenberg) (Lutheran; 1662 Appointed – 29 Jan 1698 Died) * 1698–1715:

Charles Joseph of Lorraine Charles Joseph John Anthony Ignace Felix of Lorraine (german: Karl Joseph Anton Johann Ignaz Felix von Lothringen), also known as ''Charles III'' in his capacity as the bishop of Olomouc (24 November 1680 – 4 December 1715), was a German prela ...

(Catholic; 14 Apr 1698 Appointed – 4 Dec 1715 Died) * 1715–1728: Ernest Augustus II of York and Albany (Lutheran; 1716 Appointed – 14 Aug 1728 Died) * 1728–1761: Clemence Augustus of Bavaria (Catholic; 4 Nov 1728 Appointed – 6 Feb 1761 Died) * 1764–1802: Frederick of York and Albany (Lutheran; 1764 Appointed – 10 Nov 1802 Resigned), last prince-bishop before its

mediatisation Mediatization or mediatisation may refer to: * German mediatisation, German historical territorial restructuring * Mediatization (media) Mediatization (or medialization) is a process whereby the mass media influence other sectors of society, includ ...

Sede vacante

* 1802–1857:

sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

** 1803–1827: Karl von Gruben, Catholic

to the See of Osnabrück, void of any regalia ** 1830–1855: Carl Anton Lüpke, Catholic leading auxiliary bishop ** 1855–1857: Eduard Jakob Wedekin, in

personal union A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interlink ...

Catholic bishop of

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...

Ordinaries

* 1857–1866: Paul Ludolf Melchers, S.J. † (3 Aug 1857 Appointed – 8 Jan 1866 Appointed, afterwards Archbishop of Cologne) * 1866–1878: Johannes Heinrich Beckmann (5 Apr 1866 Appointed – 30 Jul 1878 Died) * 1878–1882: sede vacante * 1882–1898: Johann Bernard Höting † (10 Feb 1882 Appointed – 21 Oct 1898 Died) * 1899–1914: Heinrich Hubert Aloysius Voß (Voss) † (12 Apr 1899 Appointed – 3 Mar 1914 Died) * 1914–1955: Hermann Wilhelm Berning † (14 Jul 1914 Appointed – 23 Nov 1955 Died) * 1956–1957: Gerhard Franz (Franziskus) Demann † (21 May 1956 Appointed – 27 Mar 1957 Died) * 1957–1987: Helmut Hermann Wittler † (22 Jul 1957 Appointed – 9 Sep 1987 Resigned) * 1987–1994: Ludwig Averkamp (9 Sep 1987 Succeeded – 24 Oct 1994 Appointed, afterwards Archbishop of Hamburg) * 1995–present:

Franz-Josef Hermann Bode Franz-Josef Hermann Bode (16 February 1951) is German prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Bishop of Osnabrück, Germany, since 1995. He has been a bishop since 1991 and Deputy Chairman of the German Bishops Conference since 2017. Within th ...

(12 Sep 1995 Appointed – )

Auxiliary bishops

* Johannes Fabri (bishop of Osnabrück), O.F.M. (20 Nov 1434 - Mar 1451)"Bishop Johannes Fabri, O.F.M."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 5, 2016"Bishop Johannes Fabri, O.F.M."
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved September 5, 2016 *

Godefridus Yerwerd Godefridus Yerwerd, O.S.B. (died Jan 1483) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Utrecht (1476–1483) and Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück (1471–1476).O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(13 Feb 1471 - 28 Mar 1476)"Bishop Godefridus Yerwerd, O.S.B."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 *

Johannes Meppen Johannes Meppen, O.S.A. (died 15 Nov 1496) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Münster (1495–1496) and Auxiliary Bishop of Osnabrück (1477–1495).O.S.A. (24 Jan 1477 - 1495)"Bishop Johannes Meppen, O.S.A."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Heinrich Schodehoet, O.S.A. (8 Jan 1494 - 1515)"Bishop Heinrich Schodehoet, O.S.A."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 5, 2016"Bishop Heinrich Schodehoet, O.E.S.A."
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved September 5, 2016 * Johannes Pictor Meler, O.S.A. (15 Jan 1518 - 1529) *

Kaspar Münster Kaspar is a given name and surname which may refer to: Given name: * Kaspar, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (1459 – c. 1527) * Kaspar Albrecht (1889–1970), Austrian architect and sculptor * Kaspar Amort (1612–1675), German painter * Casp ...

O. Carm. , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

(13 Feb 1631 - 4 Feb 1654) * Ägidius Gelenius (29 Apr 1655 - 24 Aug 1656) * Johann Bischopinck (9 Jul 1657 - 19 Sep 1667) *

Otto Wilhelm von Bronckhorst zu Gronsfeld Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded ...

, S.J. (2 Jan 1693 - 5 Apr 1713) *Hyacinth Petit,

O. Carm. , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

(11 Feb 1718 - 26 Jul 1719) *Johann Friedrich Adolf von Hörde zu Schönholthausen (15 Mar 1723 - 3 Aug 1761) *Johann Hugo von Gäertz (4 Feb 1715 - 31 Dec 1716) *Wilhelm von Alhaus, O.S.C. (3 Sep 1764 - 26 May 1794) *Karl Klemens von Gruben (1 Jun 1795 - 4 Jul 1827) *Karl Anton Joseph Lüpke (5 Jul 1830 - 8 Apr 1855) *Johannes Albert von Rudloff (1 Apr 1950 - 29 Jun 1978) *Bernhard Schräder (22 Jun 1959 - 10 Dec 1971) *Karl-August Siegel (12 Dec 1974 - 18 Nov 1988) *Hubert Brandenburg (12 Dec 1974 - 21 Nov 1977) *Hans-Jochen Jaschke (18 Nov 1988 - 24 Oct 1994) *Theodor Kettmann (27 Nov 1978 - 30 Nov 2011) *Johannes Wübbe 18 Jun 2013)

References

External links

Official site (in German)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabruck Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany, Osnabruck

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

Osnabruck diocese