Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg


The Diocese of Regensburg is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory seated in Regensburg, Germany. Its district covers parts of northeastern Bavaria; it is subordinate to the archbishop of Munich and Freising., the diocese had 1.20 million Catholics, constituting 70% of its total population. The current bishop is Rudolf Voderholzer. The main diocesan church is Saint Peter in Regensburg. The diocese is divided into eight regions and 33 deaneries with 769 parishes. It covers an area of 14,665 km².

History

The diocese was founded in 739 by Saint Boniface; it was originally subordinate to the archbishop of Salzburg. By the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss of 1803, the Bishopric was incorporated into the new Archbishopric of Regensburg.

Ordinaries

In July 2017, allegations surfaced that there was "a high degree of plausibility" that at least 547 members of the diocese's prestigious Domspatzen choir were either physically abused, sexually abused, or both between the years 1945 and 1992. Current Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer had already announced plans to offer victims compensation of between 5,000 and 20,000 euros each by the end of 2017. The report faulted Georg Ratzinger, the brother of Pope Benedict XVI and director of the choir between the years 1964 and 1994, for "in particular for 'looking away' or for failing to intervene." The report also stated that former Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller bears "clear responsibility for the strategic, organizational and communicative weaknesses" in the Diocese'