German Bishops’ ConferenceHeiner Wilmer, SCJ, was born 9 April 1961, in Schapen (Germany). In August 1980, he joined the religious community of the Sacred Heart Priests (Dehonians). He was ordained a priest in Freiburg on 31 May 1987.
From 1993 to 2007, he worked as a teacher of religion, history and politics at various schools in Germany and in New York City (Bronx), in his last position as headmaster of the Gymnasium Leoninum Handrup. He later served the Dehonians as Provincial of the German Province of the Order (2007-2015) in Bonn and Superior General (2015-2018) in Rome.
He was appointed the 71st Bishop of Hildesheim by Pope Francis on 6 April 2018 and was consecrated in Hildesheim on 1 September 2018. From 2019 to 2024, he was President of the German Commission for Justice and Peace.
Since 2021, Bishop Wilmer is President of the Commission for Society and Social Affairs of the German Bishops’ Conference. With effect from 1 January 2025, he was appointed delegated bishop of the German Bishops’ Conference at COMECE.