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Metropolitan see Hamburg, Germany

Archdiocese of Hamburg

Hamburgen(sis)

Latin Church

The Archdiocese of Hamburg is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese covering Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the largest German see by area. Re-established and elevated to an archdiocese in 1994, it is the metropolitan for Hildesheim and Osnabruck and is led by Archbishop Stefan Hesse since 2015.

On the map

Esri
Hamburg, Germany, drawn to the town rather than to the door: the register holds no verified address for its cathedral.

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Established
1994
Catholics
398,425
Priests
195
Territory
32,493 km²

Parishes and churches

130 listed churches in our records. Open a parish for Mass times, confession, directions and sources where recorded.

This is our recorded coverage, not an official diocesan parish count. Confirm service times with the parish before travelling.

The bishop

Archbishop
Stefan Heße
Born
7 August 1966
Birthplace
Köln

Explore the ministry of the bishop.

The cathedral

Cathedral of Our Lady, Hamburg stands in Hamburg, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.

On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.

History

Covering the federal states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein along with the Mecklenburgian part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Archdiocese of Hamburg (Lat. Archidioecesis Hamburgensis; Ger. Erzbistum Hamburg) is, by surface area, the largest Catholic jurisdiction in Germany. It is marked by its character as a diaspora diocese in the country's north. The archbishop's seat is the New St. Mary's Cathedral in Sankt Georg, Hamburg. On January 26, 2015, Stefan Heße, previously Generalvikar of the Archdiocese of Cologne, was named Archbishop of Hamburg.

This see in the wire

Stories that name this see

The wire's resolver matched this see in the text of each story.

  • Parents dispute sex education in Archdiocese of Hamburg schools

    Parents in the Archdiocese of Hamburg are disputing a sex education program currently being used in 15 Catholic schools. The program, titled "Male, Female, Diverse," began implementation in August 2026 after being introduced in June 2025. While the archdiocese describes the curriculum as scientifically grounded and contemporary, the Parents’ Network for Child Protection and Prevention argues that its acceptance of different sexual orientations and gender identities conflicts with Church teaching on marriage, biological sex, and Christian anthropology. The group met with Archbishop Stefan Hesse in December 2025 to address their concerns. Following that meeting, the parents appealed to Pope Leo XIV in February and filed a canonical complaint with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops. They also contacted the Dicastery for Culture and Education, which referred them to a 2019 Vatican document regarding gender theory in education. The Vatican has not ordered the archdiocese to suspend or withdraw the program. The conflict has intensified following internal emails advising school staff not to interact with the critics.

    Sep 25, 2026 · Education · 2 sources

  • Vatican confirms sex education guide for Archdiocese of Hamburg schools

    Aug 24, 2026 · Education · 4 sources

  • Vatican reaffirms Catholic teaching on sex education

    Aug 21, 2026 · Education · 2 sources

Filed by our own wire from published sources. Read the wire.