Bishop of Dresden-Meissen

The Bishop of Dresden-Meissen is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in the ecclesiastical Province of Berlin.

The diocese covers an area of 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) NamefromtoSaint Burchard of Meissen968969 or 970Volkold or Volkrad970 or 972992Eido I or Ido, Ägidius9921015Eilward or Agilward, Hildward (Ekkehardiner)10161023Hugbert, Hukbrecht or Hubert10231024Dietrich I10241040Eido II or Ido (anti-bishop)10401046Meinward - a mistaken addition by early chroniclers based on a misreadingBruno I10461065Reiner or Rainer10651066 Kraft or Krafto, appointed, but did not take office1066  Saint Benno of Meissen, Count of Woldenburg1066 1105–1107 (an unsupported date of 16 June 1106 is often given)Herwig or Hartwig 1106–11081118 or 1119Grambert - a mistaken addition by early chroniclers based on a misreadingGodebold or Godebald, Gotthold11191140Reinward11401150Berthold - a mistaken addition by early chroniclersAlbrecht I of Meissen11501152Bruno II - mistakenly added by early chroniclers based on a misdating of Bruno IGerung of Meissen11521170Martin of Meissen11701190Dietrich II von Kittlitz11911208Bruno II von Porstendorf or Bruno III1209maybe 1228Heinrich of Meissen12281240Konrad I von Wallhausen12401258Albrecht II von Mutzschen12581266Withego I von Furra or Witticho12661293Bernhard von Kamenz12931296Albrecht III of Leisnig, Albrecht III Burgrave of Leisnig1296 or 12971312Withego II von Colditz or Witticho13121341 or 1342Wilhelm of Meissen (anti-bishop)13121314Johann I von Isenburg or Count of Eisenberg?1341 or 13421370Dietrich von Schönberg, appointed, but did not take office1370  Konrad II von Kirchberg-Wallhausen 1370 or 13711375Dietrich III of Meissen (anti-bishop)13701373Johann von Genzenstein1375 or 13761379Nikolaus I Ziegenbock13791392Johann III von Kittlitz und zu Baruth13931398Thimo von Colditz13991410Rudolf von der Planitz14111427Johann IV von Schweidnitz14271451Caspar von Schönberg14511463Dietrich III von Schönberg14631476Johann V von Weißenbach14761487Johann VI von Saalhausen14871518Johann VII von Schleinitz15181537Johann VIII von Maltitz1537 or 15381549Nicolaus II von Carlowitz or Karlowitz15501555Johann IX von Haugwitz15551559/81Johann Leisentrit (administrator for the diocesan area outside of Saxony)1560/67

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 (in personal union Holy Roman Emperor) 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 Johannes Leisentritt 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 (Apostolic Prefecture of Meissen) in 1567 with administrator Leisentrit elevated to prefect.Cf. "Diocese of Dresden-Meissen: Historical Details" on: The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church: Current and historical information about its bishops and dioceses (Catholic Hierarchy), retrieved on 1 April 2011. 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 (Traditionsrezess) 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.Georges Hellinghausen, Kampf um die Apostolischen Vikare des Nordens J. Th. Laurent und C. A. Lüpke: der Hl. Stuhl und die protestantischen Staaten Norddeutschlands und Dänemark um 1840, Rome: Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana, 1987, (=Miscellanea historiae Pontificiae; vol. 53), pp. 15seq. . 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 (Saxon) 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. In 1831-1841 and since 1846 until 1920 the Apostolic Vicars of the Saxony hereditary lands were also prefects of Lusatia.

NamefromtoJohannes Leisentritt, as diocesan administrator until 1567, as Apostolic Prefect as of 15671560/671586Gregor Leisentrit15871594Christoph von Blöbel15941609August Wiederin von Ottersbach16091620Gregor Kathmann von Maurugk16201644Johann Hasius von Lichtenfeld16441650Martin Saudrius von Sternfeld16501655Bernhard von Schrattenbach, vice-administrator of the prefecture16551660Christophorus Johannes Reinheld von Reichenau16601665Peter Franz Longinus von Kieferberg16651675Martin Ferdinand Brückner von Brückenstein16761700Matthäus Johann Josef Vitzki17001713Martin Bernhard Just von Friedenfels17141721Johann Josef Ignaz Freyschlag von Schmidenthal17211743Jakob Wosky von Bärenstamm17431771Carl Lorenz Cardona17721773Martin Nugk von Lichtenhoff17741780Johann Joseph Schüller von Ehrenthal17801794Wenzel Kobalz17951796Franz Georg Lock, titular bishop of Antigonea since 180117961831Ignaz Bernhard Mauermann, apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Pella since 1819, Priest of Meissen; died in office183114 September 1841Matthäus Kutschank18411844Joseph Dittrich, simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Corycus since 20 April 1846, Priest of Litomerice; died in office1845 5 October 1853Ludwig Forwerk, simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Leontopolis in Augustamnica since 1854, Priest of Meissen; died in office11 July 1854 8 January 1875Franz Bernert, simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands (28 January) and titular bishop of Azotus (18 March 1876), Priest of Litomerice; died in office28 January 187618 March 1890Ludwig Wahl, simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Cucusus, Priest of Rottenburg; fell ill and resigned11 July 18901904Georg 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 1904190013 February 1904Georg Wuschanski, simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Samos, Priest of Meissen; died in office13 February 190428 December 1905Dr. Aloys Schäfer, simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Abila Lysaniae, Priest of Meissen; died in office4 April 1906 5 September 1914Franz Löbmann, simultaneously apostolic vicar of the Saxon Hereditary Lands and titular bishop of Priene, Priest of Meissen; died in office30 January 1915 4 December 1920Jakub Skala, as administrator of the prefecture and for the apostolic vicariate of the Saxon Hereditary Lands19201921

Bishops of Meissen (and Dresden-Meissen as of 1980; 1921–present) (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Tenure Incumbent Notes12 August 1921 to 13 August 1930Christian Schreiber, Bishop of MeissenPriest of Fulda; ordained 14 September 1921; appointed first Bishop of Berlin13 January 1931 to 21 May 1932Conrad Gröber, Bishop of Meissen Priest of Freiburg im Breisgau; ordained 1 February 1931; appointed Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau9 September 1932 to 9 March 1951Petrus Legge, Bishop of Meissen Priest of Paderborn; ordained 28 October 1932; died in office9 March 1951 to 19 August 1957Heinrich Wienken, Bishop of Meissen Coadjutor Bishop of Meissen; installed 29 November 1951; retired23 June 1958 to 21 June 1970Otto Spülbeck, Bishop of Meissen Coadjutor Bishop of Meissen; installed 24 July 1958; died in office12 September 1970 to 15 November 1979 Gerhard Schaffran, Bishop of Meissen Auxiliary Bishop of Görlitz; installed 23 September 1970; becoming Bishop of Dresden-Meissen15 November 1979 to 1 August 1987 Gerhard Schaffran, Bishop of Dresden-Meissen Hitherto Bishop of Meissen; retired2 January 1988 to 20 February 2012Joachim Friedrich Reinelt, Bishop of Dresden-MeissenPriest of Dresden-Meissen; ordained 20 February 1988; retired18 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 (Koln; Cologne, Germany)since 29 April 2016Heinrich Timmerevers, Bishop of Dresden-MeissenPriest of Münster; Auxiliary Bishop of Münster)

Notes

See also Lists of incumbents