Joseph Maria Bonnemain

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The Right Reverend

Joseph Maria Bonnemain

Opus Dei
Bishop of Chur
ChurchCatholic Church
Diocese Chur
SeeChur
Appointed15 February 2021
Installed19 March 2021
Predecessor Vitus Huonder
Orders
Ordination15 August 1978
by  Franz Cardinal König
Consecration19 March 2021
by  Kurt Cardinal Koch
Personal details
Born (1948-07-26) 26 July 1948 (age 76)
Barcelona, Spain
NationalitySwiss
DenominationRoman Catholic

Joseph Maria Bonnemain (born 26 July 1948) is a Swiss prelate of the Catholic Church who has been the bishop of Chur since 2021.

Contents

Life

Joseph Bonnemain was born on 26 July 1948 in Barcelona, the son of a Swiss father and a Spanish mother. He speaks Catalan, Spanish, French, German and Italian. After completing school in 1967, he studied medicine at the University of Zurich, completing his studies in 1975.

While in Barcelona, he established a connection with Opus Dei. He studied philosophy and theology in Rome. [1] On 15 August 1978 he was ordained a priest by Cardinal Franz König in Torreciudad and four years later incardinated into the personal prelature of Opus Dei. [2] In 1980, he completed a doctorate in canon law at the University of Navarre. During this time, he also worked as a chaplain for workers and farmers in the Navarre region.

From 1981 he worked at the diocesan curia for the Diocese of Chur as a judicial lawyer and from 1982 as vice official. From 1983 to 1991 he was a member of the Delegation of the Holy See to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. In 1985, he was a chaplain at the Limmattal hospital in Schlieren in Zürich. In 1989 he was named an official of the Diocese of Chur. From 2002, he served as secretary for the Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church established by the Swiss Bishops' Conference. In 2003, he was named a canon of the Chur cathedral chapter. In 2008 he was made a member of the Bishop's Council and in 2009 he was appointed a Chaplain of His Holiness. From 2011, he worked as episcopal vicar for canon law and for the cantons of the Diocese.

After the cathedral chapter rejected all three of the candidates Pope Francis proposed as their new bishop, [3] [lower-alpha 1] the pope appointed Bonnemain the bishop of Chur on 15 February 2021. [5] His name had reportedly been rejected by the chapter because of his age. [6] Despite his age, he agreed to serve for at least five years. He received his episcopal consecration on 19 March from Cardinal Kurt Koch. Bonnemain had women play all the roles allowed in the service. He said he will not have a coat of arms: "The sign of the Cross of Christ is enough for me. And this, only this, I will use." [3]

In November 2022, he announced he would not fill the position of exorcist, saying "In most cases, people are simply suffering mental or psychological stress. They need support, prayers, a blessing or other appropriate services – but not necessarily a major exorcism." For years the Chur diocese attracted foreigners because it was one of the few in the region still performing exorcisms. [7]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Since the 15th century, by virtue of the 1448 Concordat of Vienna and then the 1948 papal decree Etsi Salva, the Chapter of Chur has been enjoying the rare ecclesial privilege of electing its bishops. According to that procedure, it is the responsibility of the apostolic nuncio of Switzerland to identify three possible candidates (after consulting the bishops’ conference, the cathedral chapter of Chur, as well as some clergymen, nuns and lay people from the diocese) and submit the list, known as the terna, to the Holy See. After getting Rome’s approval, the terna is then sent to the canons of Chur, who must elect one of the three candidates." [4]

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References

  1. ↑ "Zur Ernennung von Dr. Joseph Bonnemain zum neuen Bischof von Chur". opusdei.org (in German). 15 February 2021.
  2. ↑ Rauch, Raphael (15 February 2021). "Nach Bischofsernennung: Gelingt der Neuanfang im Bistum Chur?" (in German). Katolisch.de.
  3. 1 2 Pongratz-Lippitt, Christa (27 March 2021). "We must do more than recite church teaching says new Swiss bishop". The Tablet . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Bishop's Election in the Swiss Diocese of Chur Highlights Local Catholic Divisions". National Catholic Register. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Resignations and Appointments, 15.02.2021" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Bishop's Election in the Swiss Diocese of Chur Highlights Local Catholic Divisions". National Catholic Register. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Swiss bishop purges exorcist post". swissinfo.ch. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
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