Career
Bode was ordained a priest on 13 December 1975 for the archdiocese of Paderborn. On 5 June 1991 he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Paderborn and titulary bishop of Mattiana. He was created bishop on 1 September 1991.
The main consecrator was Johannes Joachim Degenhardt and co-consecrators Hans Leo Drewes and Paul Consbruch.
On 12 September 1995 he was appointed bishop of Osnabrück and installed on 26 November 1995.