---
title: New Bishops Attend Introductory Course in Rome
url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/new-bishops-attend-introductory-course-in-rome
published: 2026-09-16T15:22:57+00:00
language: en
section: World Church
source: https://www.domradio.de/artikel/weihbischof-pottackal-berichtet-von-einfuehrungskurs-fuer-bischoefe
organizations: Dicastery for Bishops, Dicastery for Evangelization, Roman Curia
publisher: FaithfulNews
---

# New Bishops Attend Introductory Course in Rome

A group of newly appointed bishops participated in an annual introductory course in Rome, which concluded on a Thursday in September. The one week event, referred to by nicknames such as the Baby Bishop Course or Chief Shepherd Teaching, provides new bishops with fundamental knowledge regarding their rights and duties.

In total, 155 new bishops attended the training. Among them, two had not yet received their consecration. The majority of the participants, totaling 98 bishops, attended the exclusive course upon invitation from the Dicastery for Bishops. The remaining 57 bishops were invited by the Dicastery for Evangelization because they serve in new partial churches, which are former mission territories often located in Africa or Asia. Some of these areas are organized as territorial prelatures rather than dioceses.

Auxiliary Bishop Joshy Pottackal of the Diocese of Mainz, who is the first bishop in Germany with non European roots, noted that a key part of the event was getting to know the authorities of the Roman Curia and their leadership. He described the experience of community among the bishops as a representation of the global church in the best sense, specifically highlighting his fascination with bishops from other rites.

Other participants from German speaking regions included Auxiliary Bishop Martin Marahrens of Hildesheim, Auxiliary Bishop Johannes Zehe of Hamburg, and Archbishop Josef Grünwidl of Vienna. Archbishop Grünwidl stated that the first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV served as a common thread for the week. He also identified a two hour audience with the Pope as a highlight of the event. Pope Leo emphasized that bishops should act as brothers, fathers, and shepherds.

Additional activities included a trip to Assisi to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis. Bishop Pottackal described the course as intensive and generally very good, despite some boring lectures and the challenge of many presentations being delivered in Italian. While simultaneous translations were available, they were not provided in German.

Bishop Pottackal observed that perspectives on the office of the bishop vary by continent, noting that while European bishops often focus on administrative problems, the role still holds high value in Africa. He also mentioned that standards for critical issues, such as the handling of abuse cases, differ across various countries and cultures.