Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bamberg, Germany
Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Paderborn, Germany
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Boston, U.S.A.
Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bamberg, Germany
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Herwig Gössl, until now diocesan administrator and provost of the Cathedral Chapter of the metropolitan archdiocese of Bamberg, Germany, as metropolitan archbishop of the same archdiocese, transferring him from the titular see of Balecium and the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Bamberg.
Curriculum vitae
Archbishop-elect Herwig Gössl was born on 22 February 1967 in Munich. He carried out his philosophical and theological studies at the Universities of Bamberg and Innsbruck.
He was ordained a priest on 26 June 1993, and incardinated in the archdiocese of Bamberg.
He has held the following roles: pastoral service in various parishes in Bayreuth, Hannberg and Weisendorf; parish priest of the pastoral grouping of Erlangen Nord-West; vice rector of the major seminary of Bamberg and member of the diocesan liturgical commission; vice rector of the seminary of Würzburg and head of vocational pastoral care.
On 24 January 2014 he was elected titular bishop of Balecium and auxiliary of the archdiocese of Bamberg, receiving episcopal consecration the following 15 March. He was then appointed episcopal vicar for Caritas and provost of the Cathedral Chapter of Bamberg.
He has also served as director of the Pastoral Section of the Archepiscopal Curia and diocesan administrator of the archdiocese of Bamberg.
Within the German Bishops’ Conference, he is deputy chair of the Commission for charitable matters and a member of the Commission for Marriage and the Family.
Appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Paderborn, Germany
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Udo Markus Bentz, until now auxiliary bishop and vicar general of the diocese of Mainz, as metropolitan archbishop of Paderborn, Germany, transferring him from the titular see of Sita and the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Mainz.
Curriculum vitae
Archbishop-elect Udo Bentz was born on 3 March 1967 in Rülzheim, diocese of Speyer. After his high school examinations and a course in banking sciences, he entered the major seminary of Mainz and subsequently carried out his philosophical and theological studies at the Universities of Mainz and Innsbruck.
He was ordained a priest on1 July 1995 and incardinated in the diocese of Mainz.
After ordination, he first held the roles of parish vicar of the Cathedral of Worms (1995-1998) and special secretary to Cardinal Karl Lehmann (1998-2002). After obtaining a doctorate in theology from the Faculty of Theology of the University of Freiburg im Breisgau (2002-2007), he went on to serve as pastoral collaborator in Sprendlingen (2002-2004) and Saint Peter Canisius in Mainz (2004-2007); in 2007 he was appointed rector of the major seminary of Mainz.
On 15 July 2015 he was appointed auxiliary of Mainz, receiving episcopal consecration the following 20 September.
Since 2017 he has also held the office of vicar general.
Within the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Bentz is a member of the Commissions for Youth and for the Universal Church.
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Boston, U.S.A.
The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Cristiano G. Borro Barbosa, of the clergy of the metropolitan archdiocese of Boston, United States of America, until now episcopal vicar for the central region and secretary for evangelization, as auxiliary bishop of the same metropolitan archdiocese, assigning him the titular see of Membressa.
Curriculum vitae
Msgr. Cristiano Guilherme Borro Barbosa was born on 11 October 1976 in Adamantina, in the diocese of Marília, Brazil. He obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Universidade do Sagrado Coração in Bauru and attended the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, obtaining a master’s degree in psychology.
He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Bauru on 22 December 2007, and was incardinated in the archdiocese of Boston in 2021.
Following ordination, he first served as chaplain of the Brazilian-Portuguese community in the archdiocese of Boston (2008-2019) and parish vicar of Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Francis of Assisi in Cambridge (2019). He was awarded a licentiate and a doctorate in theology from Boston College, and went on to hold the roles of parish vicar of the Holy Family, Immaculate Conception, and Saint Anthony of Padua parishes in Lowell (2019-2020); and faculty member of the Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston and the Saint John Seminary in Brighton (2020-2023). Since 2023 he has served as episcopal vicar of the central region, and secretary for evangelization.
