Franz Josef Meinrad Merkel

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Franz Josef Meinrad Merkel CSSp (born September 22, 1944 in Hardheim ) is a German religious and emeritus Roman Catholic bishop of Humaitá in Brazil .

Life

Franz Josef Meinrad Merkel was born on September 22, 1944 in Hardheim. His parents were Franz and Thekla Merkel, the father by profession elementary school teacher and organist. Meinrad Merkel is the youngest of seven brothers and one sister. Five of the brothers studied theology, for three of them this study led to the ordination of priests . In addition to Meinrad, these were Carl (1936–2017), professor at the Catholic University of Eichstätt , and Norbert (born 1938, Spiritaner among others in Menden (Sauerland) and in Knechtsteden monastery ).

Franz Josef Meinrad Merkel joined the religious community of Spiritans and was ordained a priest on May 22, 1971. During his studies he specialized in agriculture in the tropics and traveled to Brazil for the first time. He then became a missionary in the Brazilian border area with Peru . From 1982 to 1987 he worked in the parish pastoral care in Belo Horizonte . Before moving to Bahia as a missionary and pastor in 1989 , he worked for the Spiritans for two years from Stuttgart for the temporary missionary project . From 1999 a brief activity followed in São Paulo .

Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Humaitá in Brazil on July 26, 2000 . The Bishop of Rio do Sul , José Jovêncio Balestieri SDB , donated him episcopal ordination on October 15 of the same year ; Co- consecrators were the Archbishop of Porto Velho , Moacyr Grechi OSM and the coadjutor prelate of Tefé , Sérgio Eduardo Castriani CSSp .

On August 12, 2020, Pope Francis accepted Franz Josef Meinrad Merkel's request for resignation for reasons of age.

He has been a member of the Catholic student union K.St.V. Staufia-Strasbourg Frankfurt in the KV .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c NGZ-Online - Three Brothers in the Name of God , accessed on July 26, 2015
  2. ↑ Thilo Zimmermann: With two brothers at the altar. Father Norbert Merkel celebrated his gold anniversary In: Church newspaper for the Archdiocese of Cologne. , No. 29–30 / 2015, July 17, 2015, p. 41.
  3. ↑ https://www.bistum-eichstaett.de/aktuell/aktuelle-meldung-details/news/professor-dr-carl-merkel-verstorben/
  4. ^ Rinuncia e Nomina del Vescovo di Humaitá (Brazil). In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , August 12, 2020, accessed August 12, 2020 (Italian).
predecessor Office successor
José Jovêncio Balestieri SDB Bishop of Humaitá
2000–2020 		Antônio Fontinele de Melo
personal data
SURNAME Merkel, Franz Josef Meinrad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German religious and Roman Catholic bishop of Humaitá
DATE OF BIRTH September 22, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Hardheim