Willibrord Benzler

Willibrord Benzler OSB (16 October 1853 – 16 April 1921) was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Metz from 1901 to 1919.

Born as Karl Heinrich Johann Eugen Benzler in Niederhemer, Westphalia, the eldest son of Karl Benzler, an innkeeper, and his wife, Klementine (née Kissing), he was baptized at SS Peter and Paul Church on 24 October 1853.

In 1892 Maria Laach Abbey was refounded by the monks of Beuron, and Willibrord Benzler became its prior.

After World War I the diocese of Metz became French again, and a German bishop was no longer acceptable; Benzler therefore resigned in January 1919.

The bishopric coat of arms of Willibrord Benzler showed on the heraldic right side three silver fish on blue ground, while to the left it had a red cross of Lorraine with the word "PAX" (peace).