Bishop Georg Bätzing, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, has announced that he will not seek a further term in office, bringing to an end six years at the head of one of Europe’s most controversial episcopal bodies.
In a letter sent to members of the bishops’ conference and obtained by the German outlet Die Tagespost, the Bishop of Limburg said he had reached his decision “after consultation and careful consideration”, signalling that the February elections for the conference’s leadership will proceed without an incumbent candidate.
