Elmar Maria Kredel

Elmar Maria Kredel (born February 24, 1922 in Nuremberg ; † June 10, 2008 in Erlangen ) was a German Catholic theologian and Archbishop of Bamberg .

Life

Kredel joined the Marian Congregation as a pupil and was involved with the German Red Cross . After graduating from high school, he was deployed as a medical soldier in France and Italy from 1941 to 1945. After returning from captivity in August 1945, he studied philosophy and Catholic theology . On July 30, 1950, he received the sacrament of ordination in Bamberg. In 1952 he was at the University of Innsbruck with the work on the Apostle term in the new exegesis of the doctor of theology doctorate . After a few years in pastoral care, further studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute ( Pontificio Istituto Biblico , Rome) and research at the University of Münster as well as research assistant at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich , he became a pastor in Hollfeld .

In 1967 he was appointed to the Bamberg Metropolitan Chapter , where he was a member of the liturgical commission, judge at the archbishop's office and deputy general vicar . In 1975 he was made an honorary papal prelate . Pope Paul VI appointed him on May 27, 1977 . 73rd Bishop and 11th Archbishop of Bamberg. He was ordained bishop on July 2, 1977 by his predecessor in office, Josef Schneider . Co- consecrators were Josef Stangl , Bishop of Würzburg , and Martin Wiesend , Auxiliary Bishop in Bamberg. His motto was “Pro Christo legatione fungimur - for Christ we serve as ambassadors”.

Together with the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , he chaired the Freising Bishops' Conference for several years . In addition, Elmar Maria Kredel held the post of military bishop of the Bundeswehr from 1978 to 1990 . On March 31, 1994, he resigned as Archbishop of Bamberg for health reasons. Elmar Maria Kredel lived in a retirement home in Erlangen until his death on June 10, 2008. He was honorary and conventual chaplain of the sovereign Order of Malta .

Act

Kredel was primarily involved in adult education, pastoral care for young people and in Caritas. He built up the Catholic Adult Education Center . He was also a pioneer of lay theology and, in 1980, was the first German bishop to implement service regulations for pastoral officers.

Awards and honors

• 1983: Great Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Bavarian Order of Merit
• 1987: Honorary citizen of Bamberg
• Honorary citizen of Hollfeld
• Honorary Senator of the Otto Friedrich University in Bamberg

literature

• Elmar Kredel , in: Internationales Biographisches Archiv 50/1994 of December 5, 1994, in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)

Web links

• Literature by and about Elmar Maria Kredel in the catalog of the German National Library
• Entry on Elmar Maria Kredel on catholic-hierarchy.org
• Archbishop Elmar Maria Kredel , bishop portrait on the website of the Archdiocese of Bamberg, accessed January 2, 2018

predecessor	Office	successor
Josef Schneider	Archbishop of Bamberg 1977–1994	Karl Braun
Franz Hengsbach	Military Bishop for the Bundeswehr 1978–1990	Johannes Dyba