Bishop of Dresden-Meissen


The Bishop of Dresden-Meissen is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in the Archdiocese of Berlin.
The diocese covers an area of 16,934 km² and was erected as the Diocese of Meissen on 24 June 1921. The name was changed to Dresden-Meissen on 15 November 1979.

Bishops and administrators of Meissen (968–1581)

The Bishops resided until 1595 in Wurzen. In 1559 the diocesan temporalities within Saxony were seized by the Electorate of Saxony.

Apostolic prefects of Meissen (1567–1921)

In the Meisen diocesan area located outside of then Saxony in Lower and Upper Lusatia there was no immediate overlord, since the then liege lord of the Two Lusatias, the Catholic king of Bohemia held the Lusatias as fief outright. The Kings of Bohemia did not effectively offend the spreading of the Protestant Reformation in the Two Lusatias. So it depended on the local vassals if Lutheranism prevailed or not, following the principle of Cuius regio, eius religio. The Two Lusatias thus became an area of regionally altering predominant denomination. In 1560 Meissen's last bishop John IX had appointed Johann Leisentrit as diocesan administrator for the Lusatian part of the diocese, seated in Bautzen. After the Holy See had recognised as a matter of fact the suppression of the Meissen diocese within Saxony it converted its Lusatian part into an apostolic prefecture in 1567 with administrator Leisentrit elevated to prefect. In canon law an apostolic prefecture is a diocese on approval.
According to its seat or its area comprised the prefecture was alternatively also called Apostolic Prefecture of Bautzen or Apostolic Prefecture of the Two Lusatias, respectively. When in 1635 the Lutheran Electorate of Saxony annexed the Two Lusatias it guaranteed in the cession contract with Bohemia to leave the existing religious relations untouched. As a signatory of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 Saxony later agreed to maintain the religious status quo as given in the reference year of 1624 in all its territories acquired since. After the Prussian annexation of Lower Lusatia and easterly Upper Lusatia in 1815 the Holy See disentangled the newly Prussian diocesan area and incorporated it into the Prussian diocese of Breslau in 1821. The remaining diocese, officially always called Apostolic Prefecture of Meissen, was thus also called the Apostolic Prefecture of Upper Lusatia. The office of the apostolic prefect was held in personal union by the cathedral dean of Bautzen Cathedral. In the 19th century the episcopal function of the apostolic prefects was further emphasised by appointing them simultaneously with titular sees.
Namefromto
Johann Leisentrit, as diocesan administrator until 1567,
as Apostolic Prefect as of 1567		1560/671586
Gregor Leisentrit15871594
Christoph von Blöbel15941609
August Wiederin von Ottersbach16091620
Gregor Kathmann von Maurugk16201644
Johann Hasius von Lichtenfeld16441650
Martin Saudrius von Sternfeld16501655
Bernhard von Schrattenbach,
vice-administrator of the prefecture		16551660
Christophorus Johannes Reinheld von Reichenau16601665
Peter Franz Longinus von Kieferberg16651675
Martin Ferdinand Brückner von Brückenstein16761700
Matthäus Johann Josef Vitzki17001713
Martin Bernhard Just von Friedenfels17141721
Johann Josef Ignaz Freyschlag von Schmidenthal17211743
Jakob Wosky von Bärenstamm17431771
Carl Lorenz Cardona17721773
Martin Nugk von Lichtenhoff17741780
Johann Joseph Schüller von Ehrenthal17801794
Wenzel Kobalz17951796
Franz Georg Lock,
titular bishop of Antigonea since 1801		17961831
Ignaz Bernhard Mauermann,
apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Pella since 1819,
Priest of Meissen; died in office		183114 September 1841
Matthäus Kutschank18411844
Joseph Dittrich,
simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Corycus since 20 April 1846,
Priest of Litomerice; died in office		18455 October 1853
Ludwig Forwerk,
simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Leontopolis in Augustamnica since 1854,
Priest of Meissen; died in office		11 July 18548 January 1875
Franz Bernert,
simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Azotus,
Priest of Litomerice; died in office		28 January 187618 March 1890
Ludwig Wahl,
simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Cucusus,
Priest of Rottenburg; fell ill and resigned		11 July 18901904
Georg Wuschanski,
as dean administrator of Bautzen for the prefecture since 1900,
as apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Samos since 13 February 1904		190013 February 1904
Georg Wuschanski,
simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Samos,
Priest of Meissen; died in office		13 February 190428 December 1905
Dr. Aloys Schäfer,
simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Abila Lysaniae,
Priest of Meissen; died in office		4 April 19065 September 1914
Franz Löbmann,
simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Priene,
Priest of Meissen; died in office		30 January 19154 December 1920
Jakub Skala,
as administrator of the prefecture and for the apostolic vicariate of the Saxon Hereditary Lands		19201921

Bishops of Meissen (and Dresden-Meissen as of 1980; 1921–present)

TenureIncumbentNotes
12 August 1921 to 13 August 1930Christian Schreiber, Bishop of MeissenPriest of Fulda; ordained 14 September 1921; appointed first Bishop of Berlin
13 January 1931 to 21 May 1932Conrad Gröber, Bishop of MeissenPriest of Freiburg im Breisgau; ordained 1 February 1931; appointed Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau
9 September 1932 to 9 March 1951Petrus Legge, Bishop of MeissenPriest of Paderborn; ordained 28 October 1932; died in office
9 March 1951 to 19 August 1957Heinrich Wienken, Bishop of MeissenCoadjutor Bishop of Meissen; installed 29 November 1951; retired
23 June 1958 to 21 June 1970Otto Spülbeck, Bishop of MeissenCoadjutor Bishop of Meissen; installed 24 July 1958; died in office
12 September 1970 to 15 November 1979Gerhard Schaffran, Bishop of MeissenAuxiliary Bishop of Görlitz; installed 23 September 1970; becoming Bishop of Dresden-Meissen
15 November 1979 to 1 August 1987Gerhard Schaffran, Bishop of Dresden-MeissenHitherto Bishop of Meissen; retired
2 January 1988 to 20 February 2012Joachim Friedrich Reinelt, Bishop of Dresden-MeissenPriest of Dresden-Meissen; ordained 20 February 1988; retired
18 January 2013 to 8 June 2015Heiner Koch, Bishop of Dresden-MeissenPriest of Cologne; Auxiliary Bishop of Cologne; installed 16 March 2013; appointed Archbishop-designate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Berlin, in Berlin, Germany, by Pope Francis on Monday, June 8, 2015, to replace the previous Archbishop there, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, who had earlier been transferred by Pope Francis to be Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne