Kurt Koch

Kurt Koch, ThD (born March 15, 1950) is a Swiss prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, currently serving as Bishop of Basel.

Born in Emmenbrücke, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 20, 1982.

On August 21, 1995, Koch was elected Bishop of Basel and was confirmed as such by Pope John Paul II on the following December 6. He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1997 from John Paul II himself, with Archbishops Giovanni Battista Re and Jorge María Mejía serving as co-consecrators.

When a group of Swiss intellectuals and theologians called for John Paul's resignation on May 20, 2004, Bishop Koch described the act as "disgusting and disloyal" as it was, moreover, the Pope's eighty-fourth birthday^[1]. In 2006, he voiced his disagreement with opposition to building Muslim minarets in Switzerland, but also asked for greater religious freedom for Christians in Muslim countries^[2].

On June 27, 2007, Koch, along with several other Catholic prelates, attended a briefing from Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone at the Apostolic Palace on Pope Benedict XVI's impending motu proprio allowing wider celebration of the Tridentine Mass^[3]. He later defended the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's document clarifying the expression of "subsistit in" in Lumen Gentium, although acknowledged that the document could be appear confusing or hurtful to Protestants and ecumenical Catholics^[4]. The Bishop also said that document and its reception showed the differences between the ecumenical goals of Catholics and the Orthodox and that of Protestants^[5].

Koch is also the current President of the Swiss Episcopal Conference, and sits on the Swiss Council of Religions.

[edit] References

Preceded by Hansjörg Vogel	Bishop of Basel 1995—present	Succeeded by incumbent
Preceded by Amédée Grab	President of the Swiss Episcopal Conference 2007—present	Succeeded by incumbent