Josef Stangl

Who was Josef Stangl?

Josef Stangl was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Würzburg, Germany.

Born in Kronach, Bavaria, Stangl became a priest on 16 March 1930, and he was appointed by Pope Pius XII as bishop of Würzburg on 27 June 1957.

He approved the exorcism on Anneliese Michel in 1975-1976, ordering total secrecy, "after careful consideration and good information" by Father Arnold Renz. She died of malnutrition from almost a year of semi-starvation while the rites of exorcism were performed.

Stangl consecrated Father Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, as a bishop on 28 May 1977.

On 8 January 1979, Stangl withdrew as a bishop of Würzburg, and died in Schweinfurt in April 1979.