Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner elected as president of CEAMA for the period 2026-2030 Photo: CEAMA

Resignation of the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch and Arrest of a U.S. Bishop Shake One of Christianity’s Oldest Communities

In a public letter explaining his decision, the 76-year-old cardinal insisted the move was entirely voluntary. He said he had already considered stepping down two years earlier after turning 75—the age at which bishops traditionally present their resignation—but was encouraged by Pope Francis at the time to remain in office.

Heiner Wilmer takes the helm of the German Bishops’ Conference: he will present the controversial Synodal Conference to the Vatican

During the same plenary assembly, the bishops approved the statutes of the future Synodal Conference, intended as a permanent body bringing together bishops and representatives of the Central Committee of German Catholics. The text has been sent to Rome for recognitio, the formal approval required for canonical validity.