Archabbey of St Ottilien announces the circumstances of his death

Benedictine monk Notker Wolf died in Frankfurt airport hotel

Sankt Ottilien - Until now, it was only known that the prominent monk Notker Wolf had died on a return journey from Italy to Germany. Now the Archabbey of Sankt Ottilien has released precise information about the circumstances.

Published on 05.04.2024 at 09:16 –

The Archabbey of St Ottilien announced the exact circumstances of the death of its well-known member Notker Wolf on Thursday. The monk died in the airport hotel in Frankfurt am Main late in the evening of 2 April. The 83-year-old had been accompanying a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St Benedict in Italy since Easter Monday. When he felt increasingly unwell, he flew home early. He died of a heart attack during his overnight stay in Frankfurt.

Wolf was head of the worldwide Benedictine order for 16 years as abbot primate in Rome. His books and numerous media appearances made him one of the best-known German churchmen. From 1977 onwards, he led his home monastery for 23 years.

The obituary published by Sankt Ottilien emphasises that Wolf "transformed a rather hierarchical style into horizontal forms of interaction". He accompanied processes of renewal, such as the closure of unsustainable monastery operations, by involving the community extensively, "so that there were few conflicts". (KNA)