Bishop Georg Bätzing ends a six-year tenure marked by reform debates, Vatican tensions, and the Synodal Path’s lasting impact on Germany’s Church.
Newsroom (20/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) The Bishop of Limburg, Georg Bätzing, has announced that he will not seek re-election as president of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), bringing to a close a six-year term defined by both reformist ambition and persistent friction with Rome. His decision, delivered in a letter to members of the episcopate, took many observers by surprise, even as recent months offered hints that he might forgo a second mandate.
Bätzing, 64, wrote that his decision came only after “careful consultation and reflection,” describing his tenure as “six intense years” during which German bishops, alongside wider members of the People of God, “accomplished much and secured a sustainable future for the Church.” He spoke of “a great honor and joy” in serving through “demanding times” that have nonetheless “opened new avenues for action.”
Election Set for Würzburg in February
The DBK will choose Bätzing’s successor during its spring plenary assembly in Würzburg from February 23–26, 2026—just weeks after the final session of the Synodal Path in Stuttgart. The timing underscores a moment of transition for the German Church, still reckoning with years of internal polarization and uneasy relations with Rome.
Speculation is already building around potential candidates. The Bishop of Hildesheim, Heiner Wilmer, with his Roman experience and ecumenical reputation, is seen as a strong contender to steady relations between Germany and the Vatican. The Archbishop of Paderborn, Udo Bentz, and the Bishop of Mainz, Peter Kohlgraf, are also viewed as possible nominees. None of the more traditionally aligned bishops are expected to enter the race.
For many in the German hierarchy, the coming vote represents a referendum on direction: whether the Church leans into reform or reins in experimentation after Bätzing’s charged tenure.
A Presidency Defined by the Synodal Path
Elected in March 2020, Bätzing’s presidency was inseparable from the Synodal Path’s evolution. Acting as co-president alongside Irme Stetter-Karp of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), Bätzing championed controversial reforms aimed at addressing moral and institutional crises. Proposals included greater inclusion of women in ministry, blessings for same-sex couples, and expanded Eucharistic access for Catholics in irregular unions.
In 2022, Bätzing distilled the mood among reformers: participants, he said, wanted to remain Catholic “but to be Catholic in a different way.” That statement encapsulated both his vision and the Vatican’s growing unease. Later that year, after a high-stakes visit to Rome, Bätzing reflected that critics sought “clarity” on doctrinal boundaries—but that “there was no clear answer.” For Bätzing, that ambiguity represented space for renewal.
Yet the ecclesiastical landscape has shifted since then. With Pope Leo XIV now in Rome, the Vatican’s tone toward Germany’s reform movement may change significantly, setting a new stage for post-Bätzing leadership.
The Shortening Tenures of Germany’s Bishops’ Presidents
Bätzing’s departure continues a now-established pattern: his predecessors—Cardinal Reinhard Marx and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch—each served only one six-year term, breaking with the long era of Cardinal Karl Lehmann, who led the DBK for over two decades and defined modern German Catholicism’s trajectory.
This rhythm of brief presidencies reflects both internal fatigue and the unresolved tension between Germany’s reformist impulses and Rome’s doctrinal caution. For many observers, it also signals a Church searching for equilibrium in an age of fractured authority and dwindling trust.
In his farewell letter, Bätzing extended his gratitude to the DBK Secretariat’s staff and expressed hope for a future guided by dialogue and openness. He urged his fellow bishops to preserve “the courage for open dialogue, constructive engagement, and a willingness to reach out to one another,” so that together they might “bear witness to the joy of faith” in a changing spiritual landscape.
As the German bishops look ahead to February’s vote, one question looms large: can the next president reconcile the drive for reform with the enduring weight of Rome?
- Raju Hasmukh with files from INfocatholica
Related Images:
