Josef Stangl Cleric
Josef Stangl [ˈjoːzɛf ˈʃtanɡl̩] (12 March 1907 – 8 April 1979) was 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.
