Bishop Josef Clemens

Bishop Josef Clemens was ordained a priest for the archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany, in 1975. From 1984 to 2003 he was personal secretary  to then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In February 2003 he was appointed Under-Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, in November of that year he was appointed secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and elected to titular See of Segermes. On 6 January 2004 he was consecrated bishop.

Since 2004 he has been a member of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples and Member of the Presidential Committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family.