(ZENIT News / Brasilia, 06.11. 2026). – Father Bruno Kant, the oldest man in Germany and the oldest priest in the world, died last Friday, May 29, after turning 110. Shortly before dying, he commented that God asked him to experience difficult times, such as captivity during World War II, sufferings that did not diminish his gratitude for the many other treasures he received.
The Diocese of Fulda, Germany, announced on May 30 the death of Father Kant. He was born in Werblin in 1916, near Puck, in what was then West Prussia, now part of Poland. He served as a priest in the diocese for 75 years. In his later years, he played Sudoku and chess to keep his mind sharp and did some light exercise. He stopped driving eight years ago. He gave up celebrating public Mass on Wednesday afternoons, but continued visiting the sick as long as he could.
He pursued his priestly vocation amidst wars, although he interrupted his philosophical and theological studies in Braniewo and Freiburg in Breisgau because of World War II. He was drafted into the army and taken prisoner by the Soviets. He returned to Germany in 1948 and resumed his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in 1950 in Fulda Cathedral and carried out his ministry for more than thirty years at the parish of St. Giles in Petersberg-Marbach.
To those who visited him, he remarked that prayer kept him young. On his last birthday, February 26, he received congratulations from Pope Leo XIV, as reported by the local newspaper Fuldaer Zeitung, who thanked him for his long priestly ministry and service to the Church: «I was very pleased to learn that you celebrated your 110th birthday on February 26 and I send you my warmest congratulations and blessings.»
The current parish priest of Eichenzell-Löschenrod, Guido Pasenow, expressed: «With the passing of Father Bruno Kant, our parish community loses a person who for many years was its heart. Even after retiring from active ministry, he remained a valued confidant, pastoral assistant, and spiritual guide for many parishioners. We are grateful for all he contributed to our community.»
Father Kant always carried his breviary, «his last and most cherished memento.» He earned his high school diploma in Danzig in 1934. He lost his father in the War, a painful loss that haunted him for a long time: «I wanted to be a priest because I thought that, after all the disappointments I had experienced, perhaps I could make the world a little better.»
He lived his priesthood faithfully and discreetly beyond his retirement in 1991, well into his 100s, remaining close to the parishioners of St. Giles in Petersberg-Marbach, for whom he had a deep affection. He explained, «I owe everything to God, even the fact that I am still here. I thank Him for granting me such a long life, because it is worth living.» He felt the fullness of a life given to God with joy: «I have always believed in God, because that has given me meaning and hope. I have always been happy as a priest and have never regretted my choice.»
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