German Bishops’ ConferenceFranz-Josef Overbeck was born on 19 June 1964 in Marl, Germany, and was ordained a priest on 10 October 1989 in Rome.
In 1994 he was designated Cathedral Vicar and Rector of the German Students Residence in Münster (Germany) and in 2000 he became Head of the Institute of Diaconate and Pastoral Services of the diocese of Münster.
On 18 July 2007, Pope Benedict XVI nominated Franz-Josef Overbeck Auxiliary Bishop of Münster and Titular Bishop of Mathara in Numidia. Two years later, on the 28 October 2009, he became Bishop of Essen (Germany).
Bishop Overbeck is Chair of the Commission for Society and Social Affairs and of the Subcommittee for Latin America of the German Bishops’ Conference.
Since March 2018, Mgr. Overbeck is Bishop Delegate of the German Bishops’ Conference to COMECE. He served as Vice-President of COMECE for the period 2018-2023.