Robert Zollitsch
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| Styles of Robert Zollitsch |
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | not applicable |
Robert Zollitsch (born 9 August 1938) is a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau and Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference.
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[edit] Biography
Robert Zollitsch was born in Philipsdorf/Filipovo, Yugoslavia (modern-day Serbia), to an ethnic German family of Danube Swabians who moved to Tauberbischofsheim in 1946 after being violently expelled from communist Yugoslavia following World War II. His 16 year old brother was murdered in 1945, after the end of the war, during summary execution massacres by Yugoslav partisans of Josip Broz Tito. Robert Zollitsch, after being educated in several schools, became a member of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests in 1964, and was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Hermann Schäufele on 27 May 1965, in the Cathedral of Freiburg im Breisgau.
Zollitsch was elected to the general council of the Schoenstatt Institute in both 1974 and 1980. In 1983, he was named archdiocesan personnel manager for Freiburg im Breisgau. He became a member of the cathedral chapter in 1984 as well.
On 16 June 2003, Zollitsch was appointed Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 20 July from Archbishop Oskar Saier, with Cardinals Karl Lehmann and Giovanni Lajolo serving as co-consecrators. As Archbishop, he leads the second-largest diocese in Germany.
Zollitsch was later elected to succeed Cardinal Lehmann as the Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference, and thus spokesman for the German Church, on 12 February 2008. His election was welcomed by many German figures and groups, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, Lutherans, Social Democrats, and Christian Democrats[1].
The Archbishop formerly sat on the Permanent Council and the Commission for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Laity within the same episcopal conference.
[edit] Views and positions
Zollitsch is considered to be a liberal in his convictions, and has described himself as being "theologically and personally" close to Cardinal Lehmann[2].
He has expressed his belief that priestly celibacy should be voluntary rather than law and that it is not "theologically necessary"[3], as well as supporting children's day-care nurseries as opposed to stay-at-home mothers, and the establishment of legal guidelines for homosexual marriages by the German Church.
Zollitsch accepts civil unions by states but is against Same-sex marriage. [4]
In 2009, he said in a statement he was working towards damage control in the wake of the controversy over negationist comments made by SSPX bishop Richard Williamson. [5]
In an interview with a German television station, he publicly denied the Christian dogma of the sacrificial nature of Christ's death. [6]
[edit] References
- ^ Earth Times. German Catholic bishops elect new leader 12 February 2008
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Deutsche Welle. Catholic Church Chief Stirs Controversy With Celibacy Comments 19 February 2008
- ^ Spiegel:Es wäre eine Revolution
- ^ Jewish backlash against Vatican gathers pace
- ^ "Christ did not die for the sins of the people": Head of German Catholic Bishops' Conference on TV
[edit] External links
- Catholic-Hierarchy
- Deutsche Welle - "German Catholic Church Begins New Era With Unexpected Chief"
- Schoenstatt Movement
| Preceded by Oskar Saier |
Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau 2003–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by Karl Lehmann |
Chairman of the German Episcopal Conference 2008–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
