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Religion

Franz-Josef Overbeck, Germany's Military Bishop

June 2, 2018

Franz-Josef Overbeck has been the Catholic bishop of the German armed forces since 2011. He was appointed to the post by Pope Benedict XVI. At the same time, Overbeck has served as the bishop of Essen since 2009. The German military also has a Lutheran bishop, Sigurd Immanuel Rink.

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As Germany's Catholic miltiary bishop, Franz-Josef Overbeck supervises the work of the Bundeswehr chaplains and counsellors. About 180,000 men and women serve in the German military. Approximately half of them are Christians. Counselling is available for all Bundeswehr personnel. The pastors and counsellors often have to deal with difficult problems -- including questions of conscience, overseas deployment, and complex family situations. Another challenge is providing appropriate religious programs for the Bundeswehr's 1,700 Muslim personnel. Bishop Overbeck's schedule is always full. One of the highlights is the annual Bundeswehr pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. The pilgrimage, which took place earlier this month, marked its 60th anniversary this year.