Felix Gmür (born 7 June 1966) is a Swiss Roman Catholic bishop. He is the

bishop of Basel The Diocese of Basel (; ) is a Latin Church, Latin Catholic diocese in Switzerland. Historically, the bishops of Basel were also secular rulers of the Prince-Bishopric of Basel (). Today the diocese of Basel includes the Swiss Cantons of Switze ...

since his installation on 16 January 2011. He had previously served as secretary of the Swiss Bishops' Conference. Gmür was born in

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

in 1966. From 1986 to 1990 he studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at the School of Philosophy (of the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

s) in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and at the Sèvres Centre in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and received a licentiate in philosophy. From 1990 to 1994 he studied theology at the Universities of Fribourg and Munich, ending with a degree in theology. After 1994 he continued his studies of philosophy and

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...

in Munich, also attending courses in art history. In 1997 he obtained his doctorate in philosophy on the aesthetics of

Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...

. While studying in Munich, he was a student at the supraregional seminary of that city, the Herzogliches Georgianum. From 1997 to 1999 did the pastoral internship in the diocese of

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, working first as a pastoral assistant and later as a deacon in the parish of S. Antonio in Basel. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest on 30 May 1999 in Lucerne for the diocese of Basel. From 1999 to 2001 and was then vicar of the parish of St. Antonio in Basel. From 2001 to 2004 he studied at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

as a student at the Pontifical Teutonic Institute of

Santa Maria dell'Anima Santa Maria dell'Anima () is a church in central Rome, Italy, just west of the Piazza Navona and near the Santa Maria della Pace church. It was founded during the course of the 14th century by Dutch merchants, who at that time belonged to the Ho ...

. From 2004 to 2006 he was Vice- Rector of the Major Seminary in Basel to Lucerne, while working in parishes and Menzingen Neuheim. From 2006 until 2010 he served as secretary of the Swiss Bishops' Conference. Gmür was elected by an 18-head advisory council of the cantonal bishopric on 8 September and his nomination was submitted for approval to the pope. Gmür was appointed by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

on 23 November 2010. Gmür was consecrated and installed on 16 January 2011, in Olten. In September 2019, Gmür allowed blessings of same-sex unions in the diocese of Basel. Ahead of the opening of the 2023 synod, Gmür expressed support for the end of mandatory priestly celibacy and for the ordination of women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gmur, Felix 1966 births Living people Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Bishops of Basel 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Switzerland People from Lucerne