Church: Bishop Timmerevers formally bids farewell

Heinrich Timmerevers has left office after a decade as Catholic bishop of Dresden-Meissen, with a Mass at Dresden Cathedral marking his formal farewell.

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I feel that the many challenges and tasks involved in this responsibility have required enormous strength.

The 74-year-old announced his resignation days earlier, saying he wanted to place leadership of the diocese in younger hands. He also pointed to the weight of the job, saying: “I feel that the many challenges and tasks involved in this responsibility have required enormous strength.”

Heiner Wilmer, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference and bishop of Münster, delivered the homily at the cathedral. He recalled the distinctive history of Christians in eastern Germany, where openly standing up for the faith could carry consequences.

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Standing upright as Christians can lead to contempt, even to tangible disadvantages.

“Standing upright as Christians can lead to contempt, even to tangible disadvantages,” Wilmer said. “But it can also have the power to change a country.” The Diocese of Dresden-Meissen covers large parts of Saxony as well as regions of eastern Thuringia. It says it has just under 125,000 Catholic members.

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But it can also have the power to change a country.