On September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Benedictine Abbots from all over the world meeting in Congress at Sant’Anselmo in Rome elected the Most Rev. Jeremias Schröder, OSB (59) as the 11th Abbot-Primate of the Order.

Abbot Jeremias was elected the Archabbot of St. Ottilien in Germany from 2000. At that time the office of Præses (President) of the Congregation of St. Ottilien was ex officio joined to that of Archabbot. In 2012 it was decided to separate the two offices. Archabbot Jeremias resigned as Archabbot of the Archabbey and then continued as President of the Congregation of St. Ottilien until 2024. He succeeds Abbot-Primate Gregory Polan (74) who is an American and monk of Conception Abbey in Missouri.

The Abbot-Primate does not have juridical authority over the Order but serves as the titular head of the worldwide Benedictine Confederation of monks and nuns.

Using the armorial bearings he assumed as Archabbot, Abbot-Primate Jeremias would be entitled to impale his personal coat of arms with that used by the Order of St. Benedict.