 On 23 December 1567 he was elected the Archbishop of Cologne.He did not have priestly consecrations as he intended to leave the church and take up rulership of the County of Isenburg-Grenzau in the foreseeable future, a condition which had the support of the cathedral chapter and the Holy Roman Emperor but not Pope Pius V, who demanded a new election was to take place.However Pius V died in 1572 and his successor, Gregory XIII, confirmed the election the following year.