Overview
- In a letter to bishops, Bätzing said after consultation and careful consideration he would not stand for re-election and offered no detailed reasons.
- He has led the conference since March 2020 and remains the 64-year-old bishop of Limburg.
- His tenure advanced the Synodaler Weg reform agenda, prompting recurring tensions with conservative bishops and with the Vatican.
- The election is slated during the Feb. 23–26 plenary, with the vote expected around Feb. 24 by roughly 60 bishops, and Münster and Eichstätt represented by diocesan administrators.
- Reform advocates reacted with respect and concern, with ZdK praising his engagement and Wir sind Kirche calling the decision a setback for reform efforts.