Speyer is a charming city on the west bank of the Rhine River. Speyer was erected as a diocese at some point in the fourth century, a local Catholic bishop being mentioned for the first time in written records in 346. There were no priestly ordinations in the diocese in 2024, and at that point Speyer had four seminarians. The Diocese of Speyer is not dying because of “financial and staffing reasons,” despite claims from diocesan officials. And that is what has caused the tragedy of the Speyer death spiral.