Church Historian Josef Gelmi Dies at 89

Josef Gelmi, a renowned priest and church historian from the Diocese of Bozen-Brixen, died on Monday, 3 August 2026 in Brixen at the age of 89. Born on 17 May 1937 in Cavalese, Gelmi served as a professor of church history at the Philosophisch-Theologischen Hochschule Brixen from 1973 until his retirement in 2007 and led the Hofburg Brixen diocesan museum and archive from 1998 to 2017. He authored around 40 books, including the widely‑cited reference work *Die Päpste in Lebensbildern* and a 2024 autobiography presented on his 87th birthday.

In the same night, Giuseppe Quinz, a 97‑year‑old priest who had served for more than six decades at St. Jakob near Bozen, also passed away in Udine. Both men were prominent figures in the religious and cultural life of South Tyrol.