Felix Gmür, the 44-year-old general-secretary of the Swiss Bishops Conference, will become the new bishop of Basel.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
He replaces Kurt Koch, who is packing his bags for Rome after being appointed a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI at the weekend.
Gmür was chosen by an 18-head advisory council of the cantonal bishopric on September 8, but his nomination had to be approved by the pope.
Basel is Switzerland’s largest bishopric and has a history of choosing young heads. Koch was 45 when he took office in 1996 and his predecessor Hansjörg Vogel was 43 – although he had to step down 14 months later when it turned out he had a daughter.
Gmür, whose doctorate in philosophy was on the aesthetics of Ludwig Wittgenstein, will be installed on January 16, 2011, in Solothurn.
Popular Stories
More
Climate change
The international consequences of a glacier-free Switzerland
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Catholic condom campaign sparks controversy
This content was published on
At the same time, a Catholic mission is hosting a road show that educates young people about Aids in Africa. From Monday until Wednesday, a multimedia exhibition staged in a truck outside the main railway station illustrated the harsh reality of life in Uganda and in South Africa, where HIV and Aids are a severe…
This content was published on
It is the first time in recent decades that a Swiss bishop has held a top Vatican position. It is expected that Koch will soon be elevated to the position of cardinal. The announcement on Wednesday was good news for the Swiss Church, which has had a negative press in recent months as the extent…
This content was published on
Congregations are smaller, there are fewer priests and the Church is mired in a growing child abuse scandal. In an interview with swissinfo.ch, Lucerne University theology professor Edmund Arens says the Roman Catholic Church has lost much of its credibility during Benedict’s papacy. Arens is president of the Swiss branch of the European Society for…
This content was published on
Visitors to the Vatican can see the Pope’s soldiers guarding various entrances carrying their halberds, a sort of combined spear and battleaxe. The guards also carry out plainclothes security duties around the Pope whenever he moves in public. Members of the Swiss Guard are trained in self-defence and the use of firearms. (Photos by Monika…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.