Fresh on the back of the Holy See’s firm prohibition of lay preaching in Germany, the head of the German bishops conference has praised the practice as a “long-standing tradition”.
Bishop Heiner Wilmer was elected as chairman of the German bishops’ conference (DBK) in February 2026, after having been one of the more vocal proponents of the Synodal Way’s more controversial discussion points. This included the proposal for lay preaching, something which the DBK voted for two days after Wilmer was named as chairman.
