Friedrich Wetter was born in Landau on 20 February 1928. He studied at St Georgen in Frankfurt and the Gregorian University in Rome, was ordained a priest on 10 October 1953 (per the Holy See biography), and took a doctorate in theology — his thesis concerned life after death — followed by a habilitation on the Trinitarian doctrine of John Duns Scotus. He taught fundamental theology at Eichstätt (1962–67) and dogmatics at Mainz (1967–68). Appointed Bishop of Speyer on 28 May 1968 (consecrated 29 June), he served there fourteen years.
On 28 October 1982 John Paul II named him Archbishop of Munich and Freising — succeeding Joseph Ratzinger, who had left to lead the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — and created him a cardinal on 25 May 1985, with the title of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio. He chaired the Freising bishops' conference and the German bishops' faith commission (1981–2008) and voted in the 2005 conclave. Benedict XVI accepted his resignation on 2 February 2007; he served as apostolic administrator until Reinhard Marx's installation in 2008. Bavaria honoured him with its Order of Merit and Constitutional Medal in Gold.
Consequential Quotes
Blackening people's names… will not get anyone anywhere in our archdiocese.
Major Works & Initiatives
Archbishop of Munich and Freising
Twenty-four years succeeding Ratzinger.
Bishop of Speyer
Fourteen years in his home region.
Chair of the faith commission
Germany's bishops' doctrinal chief for a generation.
Controversies
On the record
No significant public controversies reported.