At the festive service in Osnabrück Cathedral on Sunday afternoon, he called on Christians to be even more attentive to the real concerns of their fellow human beings.
According to the new bishop, there is currently too much marginalisation and exclusion "by nationalistically coloured or egotistical voices".
Following his election by the cathedral chapter, the Pope appointed the former auxiliary bishop of Paderborn and Benedictine monk on 28 May as the successor to Franz-Josef Bode , who stepped down in March 2023.
In his sermon, Meier went on to say that Christians should not stop at critical scrutiny or even endless debate, but should intervene to encourage and help. Those who, like Jesus, listen carefully to others have "better things to do than join in the general lamentation about the changing times and mourn the supposedly better past".
Facing the dark moments too
As a bishop, he wants above all to be attentive, pay attention and speak and act with appreciation.
"I am prepared to do this and I am happy to come to the diocese of Osnabrück," promised Meier. Together with the faithful there, he wanted to "encourage the Church of Osnabrück to present a friendly and welcoming face, without trivialising the dark moments of our history, which we must face resolutely in order to learn from them".
At the beginning of the service, which was also broadcast to a neighbouring church and on the internet, Meier took his first seat on the bishop's chair, the cathedra, making him the new head shepherd of the diocese.
The papal certificate of appointment was read out in front of around 1,100 faithful in the cathedral.
Guests from churches and politics included Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil (SPD), the Chairman of the Catholic German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing from Limburg, Nuncio Nikola Eterović and Hanover's Protestant Bishop Ralf Meister.
Bishop Meier was born Michael Meier in 1959 in the district of Olpe in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In 1982, he entered the Benedictine Abbey Königsmünster in Meschede, where he took the religious name Dominicus. He was ordained as a priest in 1989 and as an auxiliary bishop in Paderborn in 2015.
The religious is an expert in canon law issues. Among other things, he was a diocesan judge in Salzburg, professor of canon law and head of the ecclesiastical court in Paderborn.
In 2021, Pope Francis appointed him as a judge at the Supreme Court in the Vatican.
Within the German Bishops' Conference, Meier is Deputy Chairman of the Migration Commission and Commissioner for the Eastern Churches.