Reinhard Marx

infobox bishopstyles
name=Reinhard Marx
dipstyle=The Most Reverend
offstyle=Your Excellency
relstyle=Monsignor
deathstyle=not applicable |

Reinhard Marx (born September 21, 1953) is a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Munich and Freising.Born in Geseke, Marx was ordained to the priesthood, for the Archdiocese of Paderborn, by Archbishop Johannes Degenhardt on June 2, 1979. He obtained a doctorate in theology in 1989.

On July 23, 1996, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn and Titular Bishop of "Petina" by Pope John Paul. Marx received his episcopal consecration on the following September 21 (his forty-third birthday) from Archbishop Degenhardt, with Bishops Hans Drewes and Paul Consbruch serving as co-consecrators.

He was later named Bishop of Trier (the oldest diocese in Germany) on December 20, 2001, replacing Hermann Josef Spital nearly a year after the latter's retirement. Marx is considered to be rather conservative in matters of Church discipline, but also a "social scientist ... and whiz with the media" [Whispers in the Loggia. [http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2007/11/popes-hometown-heir.html Papa Ratzi's Hometown Heir?] November 28, 2007] . Moreover, in 2003, he suspended a theologian for extending to Protestants an invitation to the EucharistWhispers in the Loggia. [http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2007/11/in-morning-hope-munich-and-media.html Tomorrow: Hope, Munich and Media ... All By Noon] November 29, 2007] .

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Marx as Archbishop of Munich and Freising, a position that the Pope himself held from 1977 to 1981, on November 30, 2007. Rumors surrounding this were circulated before Pope Benedict's formal announcement, but Marx responded to these by saying, "The Pope names bishops, not the press". On 2 February 2008, Marx was inaugurated as Archbishop of Munich and Freising in the Munich Frauenkirche. Because of the prominence of the archdiocese and its former ordinaries, it is likely His Excellency, Archbishop Marx will likely become a Cardinal in the 2009 consistory.

Archbishop Marx currently serves as head of the committee for social issues at the German Bishops' Conference.

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmarxr.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.erzbistum-muenchen-und-freising.de/EMF302/EMF030156.asp Archdiocese of Munich and Freising]
* [http://cms.bistum-trier.de/bistum-trier/Integrale?SID=25879F97B8D319A936E25EE665D9F723&MODULE=Frontend&ACTION=ViewPage&Page.PK=48 Diocese of Trier]