Julius Döpfner

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Julius August Döpfner (August 26, 1913 – July 24, 1976 in Munich) was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1961 until 1976.

He was born in Hausen, near Bad Kissingen (Bavaria).

Before he became Archbishop, he was Bishop of Würzburg (1948–1957) and of Berlin (1957–1961). He had already been made a Cardinal by Pope John XXIII in 1958; at that time he was the youngest Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was still the second youngest cardinal in the 1963 conclave behind only Juan Landázuri Ricketts of Lima.

Julius Döpfner was one of four moderators of the Second Vatican Council. From 1965 to 1976 Julius Döpfner was chairman of the Conference of the German Bishops and thus the spokesman of the Catholic Church in Germany. He was often described as papabile before he suddenly died in 1976 at Munich.

Preceded by Matthias Ehrenfried	Bishop of Würzburg 1948-1957	Succeeded by Josef Stangl
Preceded by Wilhelm Weskamm	Bishop of Berlin 1957-1961	Succeeded by Alfred Bengsch
Preceded by Joseph Wendel	Archbishop of Munich 1961-1976	Succeeded by Joseph Ratzinger
Preceded by Josef Frings	Chairman of the Conference of the German Bishops 1965-1976	Succeeded by Joseph Höffner