Overview
- The formal installation took place on Sunday, June 21, at St.-Paulus-Dom in Münster when the Apostolic Nuncio delivered the papal document, the cathedral chapter publicly verified its legality, and Wilmer was led to the cathedra.
- Five days earlier Wilmer fulfilled the state requirement by taking the civil oath on the Basic Law and the North Rhine‑Westphalia constitution in Düsseldorf, a step tied to the concordat that governs church–state relations and state recognition of the bishop’s role.
- During the ceremony Wilmer received the episcopal staff from his predecessor Felix Genn, a liturgical transfer that symbolically and canonically gave him pastoral governance of the diocese.
- In his inaugural homily Wilmer pledged to confront abuse, to stand with victims and to make the church a safer place, and he reiterated support for experimenting with inclusive leadership models and blessings for same‑sex couples.
- As the 65‑year‑old former Bishop of Hildesheim and recent February election as Deutsche Bischofskonferenz chair, Wilmer now combines diocesan authority over about 1.6 million Catholics with national influence that could affect reform debates across the German church.