Robert Zollitsch

infobox bishopstyles
name=Robert Zollitsch
dipstyle=The Most Reverend
offstyle=Your Excellency
relstyle=Monsignor
deathstyle=not applicable |

Robert Zollitsch (born August 9, 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.

Biography

Robert Zollitsch was born in Filipovo, Yugoslavia (modern-day Serbia), to a German family who moved to Tauberbischofsheim in 1946 after being expelled from Yugoslavia following World War II. He became a member of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests in 1964, and was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Hermann Schäufele on May 27, 1965, in the Cathedral of Freiburg.

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 June 16, 2003, Zollitsch was appointed Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following July 20 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 February 12, 2008. His appointment was welcomed by many German figures and groups, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, Lutherans, Social Democrats, and Christian Democrats [Earth Times. [http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/185295,german-catholic-bishops-elect-new-leader--summary.html German Catholic bishops elect new leader] February 12, 2008] .

Zollitsch is considered to be a liberal in his convictions, and has described himself as being "theologically and personally" close to Cardinal Lehmann [Ibid.] . He has expressed his belief that priestly celibacy should be voluntary rather than law and that it is not "theologically necessary" [Deutsche Welle. [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3135174,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf Catholic Church Chief Stirs Controversy With Celibacy Comments] February 19, 2008] , 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. [ [http://wissen.spiegel.de/wissen/dokument/dokument.html?id=55854225&top=SPIEGEL&suchbegriff=robert+zollitsch&quellen=%2BBX%2CWIKI%2C%2BSP%2C%2BMM%2CALME%2C%2BMEDIA&vl=0 Spiegel:Es wäre eine Revolution] ]

The Archbishop formerly sat on the [http://dbk.de/wirueberuns/staendigerrat/personen/index_en.html Permanent Council] and the [http://dbk.de/wirueberuns/kommissionen/berufe/index_en.html Commission for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Laity] within the same episcopal conference.

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bzoll.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3122608,00.html Deutsche Welle - "German Catholic Church Begins New Era With Unexpected Chief"]
* [http://www.schoenstatt.de/news2003/06juni/3t0632en_zollitsch.htm Schoenstatt Movement]