Pope Leo XIV’s new pick to lead the Diocese of Eichstätt is already stirring debate, and not in a quiet way. Bishop Christian Würtz has signaled openness to changing priestly celibacy, while also keeping close to the German Synodal Way’s push for major reforms that many Catholics see as a break from long-standing teaching.
Würtz, recently named bishop of Eichstätt, spoke to German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk and framed the celibacy question as something the Church should examine honestly. He said the Church needs to consider what it “gains and gives up,” and described the issue as one that should be discussed without knee-jerk reactions.
That stance fits neatly with the broader tone of the Synodal Way, the German church reform movement that has pressed for changes on sexuality, authority, and clergy life. Würtz has not hidden his support for some of those ideas, including earlier votes tied to homosexual “blessings,” which makes his remarks on celibacy feel like part of a bigger pattern rather than an isolated comment.
In 2023, Würtz was one of dozens of German bishops who backed a document endorsing “blessings” for homosexual “couples” and for the divorced and “remarried.” He also supported a Synodal Way text that claimed homosexual acts were “not sinful” and “not intrinsically evil,” a position that cuts sharply against traditional Catholic teaching.
That background matters because this latest discussion is not just about discipline. For many Catholics, priestly celibacy is tied to the identity of the Latin Church, not just a rule that can be tossed aside when the mood changes. Once that line starts moving, people know the pressure rarely stops there.
Würtz has tried to sound calming about the bigger picture. He said he does not want differences to turn into factional warfare and emphasized what he called listening, cooperation, and moving forward together, language that sounds pastoral on the surface but also signals a willingness to blur sharp doctrinal lines.
He put it this way: “It’s important not to get lost in factional struggles, but to always look for what unites us and what is central,” he stated. “That’s also an important aspect of synodality – this listening to one another, this working together, moving forward together, learning from one another, and not immediately treating one’s own opinion as absolute.”
The new bishop also described his first visit to Eichstätt as bishop-elect and said he was struck by the response he received. “I suspect that when most people heard the name Christian Würtz, they had no idea who he was,” the new bishop of Eichstätt said. “But it was really wonderful for me to see that the cathedral was so full, that people spontaneously applauded, and right after the announcement of my appointment, I went out to the cathedral’s forecourt and met many people there.”
Würtz also connected his appointment to the feast day of St. Willibald, noting the timing as a “beautiful coincidence.” In his diocesan statement, he said, “It is a beautiful coincidence that my appointment takes place on the feast day of St. Willibald, the patron saint of the Diocese of Eichstätt. I hope that, with my experience and abilities, I can also contribute to building the Kingdom of God in Eichstätt and walk alongside the people here,” Würtz said in an official diocesan statement after his appointment.
He followed that by thanking the pope directly and saying he was eager to meet the diocese. “I thank Pope Leo for the trust he has placed in me and am now looking forward to getting to know the people in the diocese,” he added.
Würtz is stepping into a diocese that recently had a very different kind of shepherd, with his predecessor Gregor Maria Hanke known for resisting the more radical Synodal Way agenda. That contrast is hard to miss, especially now that the new bishop is openly talking about a church that keeps reforming itself and weighing old commitments against new demands.
