Appointed by Pope Leo XIV.
“Five minute sermon” – New auxiliary bishop for Mainz
Mainz Bishop Peter Kohlgraf received support: the future auxiliary bishop was from India. The bishop saw this as an important sign.
Pope Leo XIV has appointed a new auxiliary bishop for the diocese of Mainz – according to the diocese, he will be the first bishop in Germany of non-European origin. Father Joshy George Pottackal, 48, a native of India, will replace Udo Markus Bentz, who was installed in his new office as Archbishop of Paderborn in spring 2024.
Carmelite Father Joshy has all the skills necessary for the post of auxiliary bishop, Mainz Bishop Peter Kohlgraf said. Nevertheless, there will definitely be comments emphasizing that he is not of German descent, even though he has German citizenship. Therefore, his appointment is noteworthy. “I consider it a powerful and important sign of our times,” Kohlgraf said. “There are no foreigners in this church.”
“Sermons rarely last more than five minutes”
Auxiliary bishops in the Catholic Church are a type of auxiliary bishop and support the archbishop or bishops in their duties. The Diocese of Mainz covers territory in the two federal states of Hesse and Rhineland-Pfalz.
“Never in my life did I think that one day I would be called to the position of auxiliary bishop,” said Father Joshy when he was introduced in Mainz. “I’m not a theorist, I don’t have a doctorate. My sermons are rarely longer than five minutes.” He wants to remain authentic in his new position. According to his own words, he remained at the Carmelite monastery in Mainz, where he belonged to the order. Father Joshy will be installed on March 15, 2026 at Mainz Cathedral, where he will also be consecrated bishop.
He was born in India in the state of Kerala. He was ordained a priest in 2003 and came to Mainz in 2004. He has worked for the Diocese of Mainz since 2006, initially as the city’s youth pastor. Meanwhile, he also worked as a priest in the community of Neckartal in southern Hesse. “His character included: politeness, competence, clear-sightedness and kind words. He was a man with strong pastoral interests and a pastor with a heart,” said Bishop Kohlgraf.
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Two-thirds of the diocese of Mainz was in Hesse, the remaining third was in Rhineland-Pfalz. By the end of 2024, the diocese had nearly 598,000 members, although that number has declined steadily in recent years.
dpa
