Metropolitan Archdiocese of Berlin, Germany

Continent: West Europe

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Metropolitan Archdiocese Metr. Archdiocese

Name: Berlin (Deutsch) / Berlino (Italiano) / Berolinen(sis) (Latin)

Suffragan Sees: Dresden–Meißen, Görlitz

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Websites:

Celebrations

Cathedral Dedication Anniversary: November 6

Liturgical Calendar 📅

History

1930.08.13: Established as Diocese of Berlin (Deutsch) / Berlino (Italiano) / Berolinen(sis) (Latin) (from Diocese of Wrocław and became suffragan of Wrocław)
1972.06.28: Lost territory to establish Diocese of Gorzów, Diocese of Koszalin–Kołobrzeg and Diocese of Szczecin–Kamień
1994.06.27: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Berlin (Deutsch) / Berlino (Italiano) / Berolinen(sis) (Latin) (with suffragan sees Dresden–Meißen and Görlitz and exchanged territory with Apostolic Administration of Görlitz)

Contact Info

Address: Niederwallstr. 8-9, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Phone: (030) 32684-0

Papal Visits

Present Prelates

Metropolitan Archbishop (2015.06.08 – ...):	Archbishop Heiner Koch (70)
Auxiliary Bishop (2009.02.18 – ...):	Bishop Matthias Heinrich (70) Titular Bishop of Thibaris

Ordinaries

Metropolitan Archbishops of Berlin (Roman Rite)

Archbishop Heiner Koch (70)
(2015.06.08 – ...)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Berlin (Germany)

Gaudete semper Dominus prope

Born:	1954.06.13 (Düsseldorf, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1980.06.13
Consecrated Bishop:	2006.05.07

Priest of Köln (Germany) (1980.06.13 – 2006.03.17)

Prelate of Honour of His Holiness (1998 – 2006.03.17)

Titular Bishop of Roscrea (2006.03.17 – 2013.01.18)

Auxiliary Bishop of Köln (Germany) (2006.03.17 – 2013.01.18)

Bishop of Dresden–Meißen (Germany) (2013.01.18 – 2015.06.08)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Berlin (Germany) (2015.06.08 – ...)

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki (68)
(2011.07.02 – 2014.07.11)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Giovanni Maria Vianney
Metropolitan Archbishop of Köln (Germany)

Nos sumus testes

Born:	1956.08.18 (Köln, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1985.06.14
Consecrated Bishop:	2003.03.30
Created Cardinal:	2012.02.18

Priest of Köln (Germany) (1985.06.14 – 2003.02.24)

Chaplain of His Holiness (1999.11.21 – 2003.02.24)

Titular Bishop of Scampa (2003.02.24 – 2011.07.02)

Auxiliary Bishop of Köln (Germany) (2003.02.24 – 2011.07.02)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Berlin (Germany) (2011.07.02 – 2014.07.11)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Giovanni Maria Vianney (2012.02.18 [2012.06.30] – ...)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Köln (Germany) (2014.07.11 – ...)

Cardinal Georg Maximilian Sterzinsky
(1994.06.27 – 2011.02.24)

Deus semper major

Born:	1936.02.09 (Warlack, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1960.06.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1989.09.09
Created Cardinal:	1991.06.28
Died:	2011.06.30 (Berlin, Germany † 75)

Priest of Fulda (Germany) (1960.06.29 – 1991.05.28)

Prelate of Honour of His Holiness (1982.03.08 – 1991.05.28)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1991.05.28 – 1994.06.27)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Giuseppe all’Aurelio (1991.06.28 – 2011.06.30)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Berlin (Germany) (1994.06.27 – 2011.02.24)

Bishops of Berlin (Roman Rite)

Cardinal Georg Maximilian Sterzinsky
(1991.05.28 – 1994.06.27)

(see above)

Cardinal Joachim Meisner
(1980.04.22 – 1988.12.20)

Spes nostra firma

Born:	1933.12.25 (Breslau-Lissa, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1962.12.22
Consecrated Bishop:	1975.05.17
Created Cardinal:	1983.02.02
Died:	2017.07.05 (Bad Füssing, Germany † 83)

Priest of Erfurt–Meiningen (Germany) (1962.12.22 – 1975.03.17)

Titular Bishop of Vina (1975.03.17 – 1980.04.22)

Auxiliary Bishop of Erfurt–Meiningen (Germany) (1975.03.17 – 1980.04.22)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1980.04.22 – 1988.12.20)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Pudenziana (1983.02.02 – 2017.07.05)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Köln (Germany) (1988.12.20 – 2014.02.28)

Member of Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organisational and Economic Problems of the Apostolic See (1995.11.06 – 2014.02.24)

Cardinal Alfred Bengsch
(1962.01.14 – 1979.12.13)

Adjutores gaudii vestri

Born:	1921.09.10 (Berlin, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1950.04.02
Consecrated Bishop:	1959.06.11
Created Cardinal:	1967.06.26
Died:	1979.12.13 (Berlin, Germany † 58)

Titular Bishop of Tubia (1959.05.02 – 1961.08.16)

Auxiliary Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1959.05.02 – 1961.08.16)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1961.08.16 – 1962.01.14)

Archbishop-Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1962.01.14 – 1979.12.13)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Filippo Neri in Eurosia pro hac vice Title (1967.06.29 – 1979.12.13)

Bishop Alfred Bengsch (later Cardinal)
(1961.08.16 – 1962.01.14)

(see above)

Cardinal Julius Döpfner
(1957.01.15 – 1961.07.03)

Prædicamus crucifixum

Born:	1913.08.26 (Hausen, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1939.10.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1948.10.14
Created Cardinal:	1958.12.15
Died:	1976.07.24 (München, Germany † 62)

Bishop of Würzburg (Germany) (1948.08.11 – 1957.01.15)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1957.01.15 – 1961.07.03)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria della Scala pro hac vice Title (1958.12.18 – 1976.07.24)

Metropolitan Archbishop of München und Freising (Germany) (1961.07.03 – 1976.07.24)

President of German Episcopal Conference (1966 – 1976)

Bishop Wilhelm Weskamm
(1951.06.04 – 1956.08.21)

Ædificare Corpus Christi

Born:	1891.05.13 (Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1914.04.03
Consecrated Bishop:	1949.11.30
Died:	1956.08.21 († 65)

Titular Bishop of Rhandus (1949.10.12 – 1951.06.04)

Auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn (Germany) (1949.10.12 – 1951.06.04)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1951.06.04 – 1956.08.21)

Cardinal Konrad von Preysing Lichtenegg-Moos
(1935.07.05 – 1950.12.21)

In verbo tuo

Born:	1880.08.30 (Kronwinkel, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1912.07.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1932.10.28
Created Cardinal:	1946.02.18
Died:	1950.12.21 (Berlin, Germany † 70)

Bishop of Eichstätt (Germany) (1932.09.09 – 1935.07.05)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1935.07.05 – 1950.12.21)

Cardinal-Priest of S. Agata de’ Goti pro hac vice Title (1946.02.22 – 1950.12.21)

Bishop Nikolaus Bares
(1933.12.21 – 1935.03.01)

Veritas et pax

Born:	1871.01.24 (Hildesheim, Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1895.03.30
Consecrated Bishop:	1929.02.24
Died:	1935.03.01 († 64)

Priest of Trier (Germany) (1895.03.30 – 1929.01.15)

Bishop of Hildesheim (Germany) (1929.01.15 – 1933.12.21)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) ([1933.10.27] 1933.12.21 – 1935.03.01)

Bishop Christian Schreiber
(1930.08.13 – 1933.09.01)

In caritate Dei

Born:	1872.08.03 (Germany)
Ordained Priest:	1898.10.28
Consecrated Bishop:	1921.09.14
Died:	1933.09.01 († 61)

Bishop of Meißen (Germany) (1921.08.12 – 1930.08.13)

Bishop of Berlin (Germany) (1930.08.13 – 1933.09.01)

Former Prelates

Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Wolfgang Weider (1982.02.10 – 2009.02.18)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Johannes Kleineidam (1970.09.12 – 1981.06.02)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Heinrich Theissing (1963.03.13 – 1970.02.12)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Alfred Bengsch (later Cardinal) (1959.05.02 – 1961.08.16)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Paul Tkotsch (1948.05.12 – 1963.05.14)

Special Churches

Cathedral, Minor Basilica: Kathedral-Basilika St. Hedwig, Berlin, Berlin
Minor Basilica: Basilika Unserer Lieben Frau vom Rosenkranz („Rosenkranz-Basilika“), Berlin, Berlin
Former Cathedral (now Protestant church): Dom St. Marien, Havelberg, Sachsen-Anhalt
Former Cathedral (now Protestant church): Dom St. Marien, Hedwig und Adalbert, Fürstenwalde, Brandenburg
Former Cathedral (now Protestant church): Dom St. Peter und Paul, Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg
World Heritage Site (Minor) (now Protestant church): Nikolaikirche, Stralsund, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Churches by City (219)

Magdeburg (↙), Hildesheim (←), Hamburg (↖), Szczecin–Kamień (↗), Zielona Góra–Gorzów (→), Görlitz (↘)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 28,962 km²

Population: 416,300 Catholics (6.8% of 6,097,512 total)

Pastoral Centres: 65 parishes, 20 missions

Personnel: 335 priests (242 diocesan, 93 religious), 44 deacons, 440 religious (113 brothers, 327 sisters), 15 seminarians