Dennis Marion Schnurr

Dennis Marion Schnurr (born June 21, 1948) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Cincinnati in Ohio from 2009 to 2025. He served as Bishop of Duluth in Minnesota from 2001 to 2009.

Biography Early life and education Dennis Schnurr was born on June 21, 1948, in Sheldon, Iowa, to Edward and Eleanor (née Jungers) Schnurr. One of six children, he has two brothers and three sisters. Raised in Hospers, Iowa, he attended Spalding Catholic High School in Granville, Iowa, before entering Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Schnurr graduated from Loras with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. He then went to Rome, where he earned a Master of Theology degree in 1974 from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

Ordination and ministry Schnurr was ordained to the priesthood at St. Anthony Church in Hospers, Iowa, by Bishop Frank Greteman on July 20, 1974, for the Diocese of Sioux City. After his 1974 ordination, the diocese assigned Schnurr as an associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Epiphany Parish and Blessed Sacrament Parish, both in Sioux City, Iowa, for the next three years.

In 1977, Schnurr went to Washington, D.C. to study at the Catholic University of America School of Canon Law, receiving a Doctorate of Canon Law in 1980. After his graduation, he returned to Sioux City, where Bishop Frank Henry Greteman appointed him vice-chancellor of the diocese. Greteman also named Schnurr as the diocesan finance officer and as a judge on the diocesan tribunal. In 1981, Schnurr became chancellor and secretary of the presbyteral council.

In 1985, Schnurr left Sioux City to serve on the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. He was appointed as associate general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 1989. During his tenure in this position, he supervised departments dealing with education, domestic and international social policy, and communications. Schnurr organized the 1993 World Youth Day, held in Denver, Colorado. He was raised by the Vatican to the rank of prelate of honor in 1993 and elected general secretary of the USCCB in 1994.

Coadjutor and archbishop of Cincinnati Schnurr was named coadjutor archbishop of Cincinnati by Pope Benedict XVI on October 17, 2008.

In November 2018, Schnurr expressed "enormous disappointment" at a Vatican request for the USCCB to delay a vote on tightening procedures for sexual abuses case. The Vatican said it wanted to consider a global response first.

In August 2019, Schnurr removed Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Binzer from his position as the head of priest personnel for the archdiocese. Reverend Geoff Drew, a priest in St. Jude Parish, had raped a 10-year-old boy between 1988 and 1991. After learning about these allegations, Binzer failed to report them to the archbishop or other officials in the archdiocese. Binzer resigned as auxiliary bishop in May 2020.

In May 2020, Schnurr decided not to renew the contract of Jim Zimmerman, a teacher at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, because he was part of a same-sex marriage. A teacher at the school for 23 years, Zimmerman was open about his marriage with school officials, other faculty and students. According to Zimmerman, his principal told him that a community member had alerted Schnurr about the marriage. Zimmerman's supporters at Alter High School and in Kettering accused Schnurr of homophobia, which he strongly denied.

In July 2021, Schnurr said that he disapproved of a town hall being held by US President Joe Biden at Mount Saint Joseph University in Cincinnati, but admitted he had no power to block it. Schnurr did not explain his reasoning. Schnurr said that he would have never approved this event on archdiocese property. In October 2021, Schnurr presented a restructuring plan for the archdiocese that could close 70% of its parishes.

In October 2024, Schnurr announced the severing of a 110-year partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Schnurr stated that recent changes by the national organization did not align with Catholic teaching on sexuality and gender identity.

Retirement and legacy On February 12, 2025, Pope Francis accepted Schnurr's resignation as archbishop of Cincinnati and named Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Robert G. Casey to succeed him.

Schnurr was diagnosed in May 2024 with stage 3 small bowel cancer and immediately began chemotherapy. He later underwent back surgery following a fall. On February 19, 2025, Schnurr was scheduled to appear at the Andrew Dinner at St. Mary's Church in Hyde Park, Cincinnati, but was forced to cancel due to the recovery from his back surgery.

Viewpoints

Abortion Schnurr in August 2023 urged Ohio Catholics to reject the Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety ballot measure, which would have enshrined abortion rights for women in the Ohio State Constitution. He claimed that the measure would allow doctors to “take the lives of innocent children in the womb while harming women and families in the process.” Voters approved the amendment by a large margin in November 2023.

Immigration In January 2017, Schnurr expressed his opposition to the refugee ban on people from certain Muslim-majority nations that was enacted by the Trump administration. Schnurr said that refugees had a right to seek a safe place for themselves and their families.

Same sex marriage In June 2015, Schnurr expressed his disapproval of the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. In an official statement, he explained that the court's decision "disregarded not only the clearly expressed will of the electorate in Ohio and other states," but that is had undermined a notion of matrimony "shared by virtually all cultures" until the very recent past.

Schnurr in April 2018 persuaded the administration of Mercy Health – Clermont Hospital in Batavia, Ohio, to stop the distribution of condoms at their facility. The Hamilton County Public Health Harm Reduction Program, which was hosting a needle exchange program in the hospital parking lot, had also been providing condoms to participants to promote safe sex.