Leo Nowak (bishop)

The Most Reverend Leopold Nowak
Bishop Emeritus of Magdeburg
Nowak in 2008
Church	Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Paderborn
Diocese	Magdeburg
Appointed	27 June 1994
Term ended	17 March 2004
Predecessor	Himself, as Apostolic Administrator
Successor	Gerhard Feige
Previous post	Titular Bishop of Cissa (1990–1994)
Orders
Ordination	10 May 1956 by Friedrich Maria Heinrich Rintelen
Consecration	24 March 1990 by Hans-Georg Braun, Johannes Joachim Degenhardt and Theodor Hubrich
Personal details
Born	(1929-03-17)17 March 1929 Magdeburg, Saxony, Prussia, Germany
Died	12 April 2026(2026-04-12) (aged 97) Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Nationality	German
Denomination	Catholicism
Motto	Instaurare omnia in Christo
Coat of arms

Styles of Leopold Nowak
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Leopold Nowak (17 March 1929 – 12 April 2026) was a German Roman Catholic prelate who was the first bishop of the newly re-erected Roman Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg, Germany, from 1994 until 2004.

Biography

Nowak was ordained a priest on 10 May 1956 for the Archdiocese of Paderborn. On 12 February 1990 he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Magdeburg and the Titular Bishop of Cissa. He was created bishop on 24 March 1990. The main consecrator was Johannes Braun, his predecessor as Apostolic Administrator of Magdeburg, and co-consecrators were Johannes Joachim Degenhardt and Theodor Hubrich. On 27 June 1994 he was appointed bishop of Magdeburg and installed on 9 October 1994. Following canon law, Nowak offered his resignation to the pope in 2004, upon reaching the age of 75. He retired as bishop of Magdeburg on 17 March 2004. He was succeeded by Gerhard Feige.

Nowak died on 12 April 2026, at the age of 97, due to complications following surgery.

Awards

• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Order of Merit of Saxony-Anhalt

External links

• Catholic Hierarchy bio