Bishop Clemens Pickel

Bishop Clemens Pickel is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Saint Clement in Saratov. He was born on August 17, 1961, in the town of Colditz (Saxony, former GDR). After attending the "Norbertinum" pre-seminary in Magdeburg (1978–1981), he studied at the St. Albert the Great Major Seminary in Erfurt (1981–1986) and the Pastoral Seminary in Neuzelle (1987–1988). He was ordained a priest on June 25, 1988, at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Dresden. He served as a parochial vicar at the parish of St. Mary Magdalene in Kamenz. On August 1, 1990, he was released from his duties to undertake pastoral work in the Soviet Union. From 1990 to 1991, he served as a parochial vicar in parishes in Tajikistan (Dushanbe, Qurghonteppa, and Vakhsh). From 1991 to 2000, he was the pastor of the Christ the King parish in Marx, Saratov Oblast. He served as Dean of the Volga region from 1992 to 1998. On March 23, 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of the Apostolic Administration of European Russia. He was ordained a bishop on June 7, 1998, in Marx by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation, Archbishop John Bukovsky, as the Titular Bishop of Cusira. Since November 23, 1999, he has served as the Apostolic Administrator of Southern European Russia. In 2002, following the establishment of Catholic dioceses in Russia by John Paul II, he became the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Clement in Saratov. He chairs the Commission for the Laity, Movements, and Youth and the Commission for Charity of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia. From 2017 to 2020 and from March 18, 2026 — Chairman of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia.