The Diocese of Osnabrück () is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

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, prov ...

of the

Catholic church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

."Diocese of Osnabrück"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. 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 Osnabrück () was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1225 until 1803. It should not be confused with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück, Diocese of Osnabrück (), which was lar ...

–an ecclesiastical principality of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

until 1803–over which the bishop, as

prince-bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

, 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 ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

, in order to Christianize the conquered stem-duchy of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

. 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 Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

to the

Archdiocese of Cologne The Archdiocese of Cologne (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. History At an early date Christianity came to Cologne with the Roman soldiers ...

(until 1824). The temporal possessions of the see, originally quite limited, grew in time, and its

s 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 ...

. The

prince-bishopric A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to ''Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the Bi ...

continued to grow in size, making its status during the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

a highly contentious issue. During the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

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

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. 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 (, ) 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 peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...

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

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

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

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...

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 ( ) is a European royal house with roots tracing back to the 17th century. Its members, known as Hanoverians, ruled Hanover, Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Empire at various times during the 17th to 20th centurie ...

. 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 King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

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

German Mediatisation German mediatisation (; ) was the major redistribution and reshaping of territorial holdings that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany by means of the subsumption and Secularization (church property), secularisation of a large number of ...

of 1803, the bishopric was dissolved and given to the

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

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: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

in 1806, to the

Kingdom of Westphalia The Kingdom of Westphalia was a client state of First French Empire, France in present-day Germany that existed from 1807 to 1813. While formally independent, it was ruled by Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte. It was named after Westphalia, ...

in 1807, to

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of mi ...

France in 1810, and again to Hanover in 1814. Klemens von Gruben,

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 (; ; ) is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. Part of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos (island), Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of Piraeus. The Co ...

, 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 pre ...

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

The restoration of the diocese

Under

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo 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 in February 1829. ...

the

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

' (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 (). Between 1235 and 1803 the bishops simultaneously officiating as rulers of princely rank (prince-bishop) in the Bishopric of Hildesheim, Prince-Bishopric of Hildeshei ...

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 or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar ...

and an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

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

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

, the

Landdrost ''Landdrost'' ({{IPA, nl, ˈlɑndrɔst, lang, Nl-landdrost.ogg) 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'' mean ...

eien (high-bailiwicks, governorates) of Osnabrück and

Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Saxon: ''Auerk'', West Frisian: ''Auwerk'', ) 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 in popula ...

(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 o ...

. 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 of the Marists at Meppen. The religious orders of women include

Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

, Borromeans,

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of women that in 1572 branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula. The Ursulines trace their origins to th ...

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 pre ...

of the Northern Missions of Germany and Prefect-Apostolic of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

(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 (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

, with the consent of King

George V of Hanover George V (Georg Friedrich Alexander Karl Ernst August; 27 May 1819 – 12 June 1878) was the last King of Hanover, reigning from 18 November 1851 to 20 September 1866. The only child of King Ernest Augustus and Queen Frederica, he succeeded ...

, appointed Paulus Melchers 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 () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1866 to 1946. During the Austro-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Hanover had attempted to maintain a neutral position, alo ...

); 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 In the history of Germany, the ''Kulturkampf'' (Cultural Struggle) was the seven-year political conflict (1871–1878) between the Catholic Church in Germany led by Pope Pius IX and the Kingdom of Prussia led by chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Th ...

. The next bishop (to 1911), Hubert Voss, was appointed 12 April 1899. In 1930, following the Prussian Concordat, the Prefecture of Schleswig-Holstein and the Northern Missions of Germany, comprising several Protestant areas of

Northern Germany Northern Germany (, ) 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 and the two city-states Hambur ...

, were added to the diocese:

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a duchy in northern Germany created in 1701, when Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Frederick William and Adolphus Frederick II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick II divided ...

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 called Lippe-Schaumburg, was created as a county in 1647, became a principality in 1807 and 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 capi ...

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

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

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

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) 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, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

) were made into the newly founded Archdiocese of Hamburg. Osnabrück became subordinate to this Archdiocese of Hamburg. The former Bishop of Osnabrück was Franz-Josef Bode. His resignation was accepted by the Pope on March 25, 2023.

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 (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 * 1190–1216: Gerard I of Oldenburg-Wildeshausen * 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-Bishopric of Osnabrück, prince-bishop of Osnabrück from 1369, and then Bishopric of Schwerin, prince-bishop of Schwerin from 1376 to 1381. He was the son of H ...

* 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 (6 Mar 1508 Appointed – 14 May 1532 Died) * 1532–1553: Francis of Waldeck (11 Jun 1532 Appointed – 15 Jul 1553 Died; from 1543 on Lutheran) * 1553–1574: John II of Hoya 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-Wolfenbüttel (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 (Catholic; 27 Oct 1625 Appointed – 1 Dec 1661 Died) * 1634–1648: Gustav Gustavsson af Vasaborg (Lutheran) * 1648–1661: Francis of Wartenberg (Catholic) * 1662–1698: Ernest Augustus I of Brunswick and Lunenburg (Calenberg) (Lutheran; 1662 Appointed – 29 Jan 1698 Died) * 1698–1715: Charles Joseph of Lorraine (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 method whereby the mass media influence other sectors of society, inclu ...

Sede vacante

* 1802–1857:

sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...

** 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 a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...

Catholic bishop of

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; or ; ) is a city in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim (district), Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of t ...

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) * 1995–2023: Franz-Josef Hermann Bode (12 Sep 1995 Appointed – 15 mar 2023 Resigned) * 2024–: Dominicus Meier (28 May 2024 Appointed)

Auxiliary bishops

* Johannes Fabri (bishop of Osnabrück), O.F.M. (20 Nov 1434 - Mar 1451)"Bishop Johannes Fabri, O.F.M."
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 5, 2016"Bishop Johannes Fabri, O.F.M."
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved September 5, 2016 * Godefridus Yerwerd, O.S.B. (13 Feb 1471 - 28 Mar 1476)"Bishop Godefridus Yerwerd, O.S.B."
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Johannes Meppen, O.S.A. (24 Jan 1477 - 1495)"Bishop Johannes Meppen, O.S.A."
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Heinrich Schodehoet, O.S.A. (8 Jan 1494 - 1515)"Bishop Heinrich Schodehoet, O.S.A."
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. 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, O. Carm. (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, S.J. (2 Jan 1693 - 5 Apr 1713) *Hyacinth Petit, O. Carm. (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 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, prov ...

Osnabruck diocese