Hans-Josef Becker

• Type — Archbishop • Honorific Prefix — His Excellency • Name — Hans-Josef Becker • Title — Archbishop Emeritus of Paderborn • Church — Roman Catholic • Archdiocese — Archdiocese of Paderborn • Province — Paderborn • Appointed — 3 July 2003 • Term Start — 28 September 2003 • Term End — 1 October 2022 • Predecessor — Johannes Joachim Degenhardt • Ordination — 11 June 1977 • Ordained By — Johannes Joachim Degenhardt • Consecration — 23 January 2000 • Consecrated By — Johannes Joachim Degenhardt • Born — 8 June 1948 • Birthplace — Warstein, Allied-occupied Germany • Previous Post — Auxiliary bishop of Paderborn (1999–2003) • Motto — In Verbo Autem Tuo

Hans Josef Becker was born in Belecke, Warstein, Germany, on 8 June 1948. He completed his advanced level examination in 1967, in Rüthen. Subsequently, he completed a teaching study, which was confirmed with a second state examination in 1972. There after, he studied theology and philosophy in Paderborn and Munich. On 11 June 1977 he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Johannes Joachim Degenhardt.

• Name — Hans-Josef Becker • Dipstyle — The Most Reverend • Offstyle — Your Excellency • Relstyle — Monsignor From 1979 to 1995, he worked as a pastor in Paderborn and Lippstadt. In the following four years, Becker led the Central Department of Pastoral Personnel (Zentralabteilung Pastorales Personal) for the Archbishopric of Paderborn. In 1999, he was appointed the auxiliary bishop of Paderborn by Pope John Paul II. After the death of Archbishop Degenhardt in the year 2002, Becker functioned for about a year as more of a diocesan administrator, before he was appointed as Archbishop of Paderborn on 28 September 2003. Since 2006, Becker has been a chairman of the Commission for Education and Schools in the Conference of the German Bishops. Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 1 October 2022.