Beat Grögli
Beat Grögli is a Swiss Roman Catholic prelate, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Saint Gallen and the apostolic administrator of Appenzell since 2025.
Life
Beat Grögli was born in Wil on 20 September 1970, the eldest of three boys born to Anton and Rita Grögli-Büeler. After his early schooling in Wil, he spent three years as a boarder at the Untere Waid Gymnasium in Mörschwil. He graduated from the Friedberg Gymnasium in Gossau in 1991 and then interned for a year at a social education facility for children and young people in Lucerne. From 1992 to 1997 he studied philosophy and theology at the University of Fribourg and University of Innsbruck as well as psychology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Saint Gallen by Bishop Ivo Fürer in St. Gallen Cathedral on 16 August 1998.He served as vicar of St. Otmar parish in St. Gallen from 1998 to 2003 and then undertook additional training in psychology at the Gregorian from 2003 to 2006. Returning to Switzerland, he worked from 2006 to 2013 in the parishes of Rotmonten and Heiligkreuz, and part-time in the interdiocesan program in Chur. In 2013, Bishop Markus Büchel named him a member of the cathedral chapter and cathedral priest, and he joined the diocesan leadership team. In 2018, the role of dean for pastoral care was added to his responsibilities.
The cathedral chapter of the diocese elected him bishop on 20 May 2025, and on 22 May Pope Leo XIV appointed him bishop of St. Gallen, a position which entails as well the responsibilities of apostolic administrator of the two semi-cantons of Appenzell. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung described him as "an unknown quantity" with respect to current Church issues, but thought to be "in the moderate camp".
He received his episcopal consecration on 5 July 2025 from Bishop Markus Büchel, his predecessor in St. Gallen, and became the youngest bishop in Switzerland.
Views
In May 2025, Grögli expressed optimism about the eventual ordination of women, without advocating for the practice. As bishop-elect, he affirmed that although he considered the theological arguments against the ordination of women to be "weak", he nevertheless recognized that the wider issue was "complex" and emphasised his loyalty to Rome.In a personal statement after his election, Grögli expressed his support for synodality in the Catholic Church. In a July 2025 interview, he said he was willing to bless same-sex couples, stating that a blessing is "not a church political manifestation". He also expressed disapproval of the Tridentine Mass as "not evolving" and that groups which celebrate it in his diocese have "separated themselves from the larger community". At the same time, he has noted his appreciation for Eastern Rite liturgies, saying that it takes him "into another dimension" despite the language barrier.
Grögli has a special devotion to Ignatius of Loyola and to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome.