Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Heiner Wilmer as Bishop of Münster, ending a vacancy of about a year in what is now Germany’s largest diocese by Catholic population.
The Holy See confirmed the move on March 26, with Wilmer, currently Bishop of Hildesheim and president of the German Bishops’ Conference, set to succeed Bishop Felix Genn, who retired in March 2025.
The Diocese of Münster has been without a bishop since Genn stepped down on reaching the age limit, with diocesan governance maintained on an interim basis. Its status as the largest German diocese, overtaking Cologne, has sharpened the importance of the appointment, both pastorally and politically within the German Church.
