-Bishop Retires at 66He had led the Diocese of Speyer since March 2008.
Bishop Wiesemann said that "the burden of the extensive responsibility has taken a serious physical and psychological toll on me."
Depression and Health
Bishop Wiesemann had previously suffered from depression. In 2021, he withdrew from his duties for about seven months for health reasons, including inpatient treatment.
He later publicly identified the illness as depression.
In May 2026, he spoke about his experience at the Katholikentag in Würzburg during an event on depression and mental health.
He attributed his depression to prolonged pressures including the demands of episcopal office, financial and structural problems in the diocese and, above all, the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis.
Pro-Homosexual Bishop
Bishop Wiesemann was among the German bishops supporting changes in the Church's approach to homosexuality. During the German Synod, he voted for blessings of homosexual couples. He later emphasized that he had taken these positions “out of conviction.”
After the Synodal Way's reform text on sexual ethics failed to obtain the required two-thirds episcopal majority in September 2022, Wiesemann publicly expressed disappointment. He called the proposed reform a “necessary further development of Church teaching” away from a rigid and partly discriminatory sexual morality.
He also implemented these positions in Speyer.
In 2023, he authorized blessings for homosex couples and adulterers.
When the Vatican subsequently issued 'Fiducia supplicans', Wiesemann called it “a great encouragement” and said it confirmed the direction already taken in Speyer.
Under Wiesemann's leadership, the diocese established a queer-sensitive pastoral ministry. Its policies included hiring homosexual pastoral officers, providing training on "gender diversity," and making provisions for "transgender" Catholics (including adding new names to the baptismal register).
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