Robert Zollitsch

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Robert Zollitsch (2013)

Robert Zollitsch (born August 9, 1938 in Filipowa (Filipovo) , Kingdom of Yugoslavia , now Serbia ) was Archbishop of Freiburg and Metropolitan of the Church Province of Freiburg from 2003 to 2013 . Until June 29, 2014 he was Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Freiburg. Zollitsch was chairman of the German Bishops' Conference from February 18, 2008 to March 12, 2014 .

Life

Archbishop Zollitsch (2006)
Mountain mass with Archbishop Robert Zollitsch in Gaienhofen- Horn, together with Michael Maas (2014)

Robert Zollitsch was born in Filipowa (Filipovo), today Bački Gračac, in western Batschka in 1938. He comes from a Danube Swabian family. In the autumn of 1944 212 local residents of German origin were murdered by the Yugoslav People's Liberation Army . Zollitsch's then 16-year-old brother was among those murdered. Zollitsch's older brother Paul escaped the massacre and died in 2010 at the age of 85. The rest of the ethnic German population of Filipovo was from their homes and farms sold and in the warehouse Gakovo in the municipality of Sombor deported, including the six year-old Robert Zollitsch, his grandmother and three of his cousins.

In 1946 the Zollitsch family was able to flee to West Germany via Hungary and settled in Oberschüpf in the Tauberbischofsheim district . In 1953 she moved to Mannheim-Rheinau . In 1960, Robert Zollitsch passed the matriculation examination as a student at the St. Michael student residence at Matthias Grünewald High School in Tauberbischofsheim .

Robert Zollitsch studied philosophy and Catholic theology at the University of Freiburg and the University of Munich from 1960 to 1964 . On 27 May 1965 he received from Archbishop Hermann Schäufele in Freiburg Cathedral , the ordination . Then he was chaplain in Mannheim and Buchen . After working as a coach in college Borromaeum and as a lecturer at the Seminary of St. Peter in the Black Forest , he was in March 1974 in Freiburg an inquiry into office and function of the priest in the first two centuries for Dr. theol. PhD .

From 1974 to 1983 he headed the Archbishop's Theological Convict Collegium Borromaeum in Freiburg. From 1983 until his election as Archbishop he was personnel officer of the Archdiocese of Freiburg , in 1984 Robert Zollitsch was appointed Cathedral Chapter . In 1992 Pope John Paul II awarded him the title of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness . After the resignation of his predecessor Oskar Saier for health reasons , he was elected as the new pastor by the cathedral chapter of Freiburg im Breisgau on June 6, 2003 and appointed Archbishop of Freiburg and Metropolitan of the Upper Rhine Church Province by letter of June 16, 2003 by Pope John Paul II . On July 9, 2003, he took the oath provided for in the Reich Concordat of July 20, 1933. On the same day, senior archbishop Oskar Saier donated him episcopal ordination . His motto is In fidei communione ("In the community of faith").

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch after the 2011 Christmas service

In 2005 he was appointed Grand Officer of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem by Cardinal Grand Master Carlo Cardinal Furno and invested in Paderborn Cathedral on May 21, 2005 by Anton Schlembach , Grand Prior of the German Lieutenancy .

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch has been Grand Chancellor of the Gustav Siewerth Academy since 2006 . Since 2006 he has been an honorary member of the Catholic student association K.D.St.V. Ferdinandea Prague Heidelberg in CV and since 2009 of the Catholic student association KDSt.V. Wildenstein Freiburg im Breisgau in the CV. He belongs to the community of Schoenstatt diocesan priests .

Zollitsch was elected chairman of the German Bishops' Conference on February 12, 2008 for a six-year term and took up this position on February 18, 2008. In this role, Zollitsch accompanied Pope Benedict XVI. on his first official state visit from September 24th to 25th 2011 and welcomed him as diocesan bishop in his home archdiocese of Freiburg .

Zollitsch is the initiator of the discussion forum “Believe in Today” .

On September 17, 2013, Pope Franziskus Zollitsch accepted his age-related resignation from office and appointed him Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until the episcopal chair was filled.

Zollitsch remained in office as chairman of the German Bishops' Conference until March 2014. Reinhard Marx was his successor .

Episcopal coat of arms

Archbishop's coat of arms from Robert Zollitsch

Divided four times, it shows in fields 1 and 4 the coat of arms of the former diocese of Constance , which was taken over by the archdiocese of Freiburg . Fields 2 and 3 are subdivided again, a red rose on a white background and a five-petalled white rose on a red background, taken from the Zollitsch family coat of arms, which can be traced back to 1532. The rose, the "queen of flowers", is also a symbol for Mary, mother of God.

The double cross as well as the green bishop's hat with 20 green tassels and the pallium frame the archbishop's coat of arms.

Act

Archbishop Zollitsch on Blood Friday in Weingarten Abbey Church (2008)
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch with members of the Pontifical Centesimus Annus Foundation (2010)

Even as a personnel officer, he developed the concept of pastoral care units for the reorganization of the lower pastoral level , which was implemented across the board until 2008 and the concept has since been further developed, which in turn is to be implemented by 2015. On November 1, 2005, after extensive consultations, he put pastoral guidelines into force for the first time in the history of the Archdiocese (title: “Shaping the New Beginning”). Since Robert Zollitsch took office as diocesan bishop, the statutes of numerous diocesan bodies and institutions have been revised (parish councils, deaneries, priestly council). In a reform of the deanery on January 1, 2008, the number of deaneries was reduced from 39 to 26. The development of diocesan awareness is to be promoted through the introduction of an annual diocesan day and the promotion of supraregional meetings of priests, other full-time workers in pastoral care and religious teachers. The year 2006 was themed as the year of vocation with a large number of events . The training of priests was reorganized: the seminary was moved from St. Peter in the Black Forest to the Collegium Borromaeum in Freiburg. The training of priests was designed with a stronger practical focus.

In February 2008, Zollitsch emphasized the right of Muslims to mosques . At Easter 2008, Zollitsch warned the mass media and parents to live up to their responsibilities.

On April 2nd, 2008 he took part in the traditional blood kick , the largest equestrian procession in Europe in Weingarten . In his sermon in the pontifical ministry in the Basilica of St. Martin , he called on the assembled believers to do more missionary work and to defend Sunday as an indispensable feature of Christianity in an increasingly secular environment.

Church and social positions

celibacy

Zollitsch describes himself as "conservative in the good sense". In an interview with the news magazine Der Spiegel in 2008, he spoke out “against thinking bans” on the subject of celibacy and described the connection between priesthood and celibacy as not “theologically necessary”. This statement also received special attention because he made it two days before he took office. In the Spiegel interview, Zollitsch also spoke out in favor of opening up the Catholic Church to new social groups and criticized statements by other bishops on the subject of day nurseries : “Terms such as birthing machines or hearth bonuses are not part of my vocabulary and basically ruin any discussion. We need day nurseries because many parents simply need them. "

A quote from Zollitsch became famous, in which he opposed a connection between celibacy and the abuse cases of the Catholic Church : “ Sexual abuse of children is not a specific problem of the Catholic Church. It has nothing to do with celibacy, homosexuality, or Catholic sex teaching. That's why we don't need a round table specifically for the Catholic Church. "

Social market economy

In the same interview, he distanced himself from the CDU : it had "come closer to neoliberal theses" and was "in danger of not having enough focus on the social market economy or the social." The closeness between the CDU and the Catholic Church was said to be "Therefore decreased" and other parties such as the SPD and the Greens take on "things that are important to us more than before".

Ecumenism

With regard to ecumenism, the Archbishop of Freiburg campaigned for a better relationship with the Protestant Church. The Roman declaration about what the church is, had caused anger among Protestants. In an interview with the news magazine Der Spiegel , he said: The Protestant Church “is a church, but a different one. According to the Catholic understanding, it is not a church in the full sense of the word. She is church. I can't deny her that. "

homosexuality

In connection with homosexuality , he spoke of a "disposition" and a "reality". In his opinion, the state can also make statutory regulations for this group, such as civil partnerships . He considers the term marriage to be wrong in this context, "because it suggests that something is equated with marriage between a man and a woman."

Basic Law

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the proclamation of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, an ecumenical festive service was held on May 30, 2009 in Bonn's cathedral . The Christian Churches Association (ACK) in Bonn had invited . Above all, Robert Zollitsch, Metropolitan Augoustinos of Germany and the Bavarian State Bishop Johannes Friedrich celebrated it . Zollitsch remarked in his address: The anniversary should not only be seen as a “reminder of a good past”, but as a “constant task”. The archbishop declared that it was important to find “the correct application of the provisions of the Basic Law to the questions of our time”. The order of values ​​of the Basic Law, which corresponds “in a special way to the Christian image of man”, must be filled with “new life” every day .

Papal speech in the Bundestag

In April 2011, he asked the MPs to be present during the Pope's announced speech in front of the Bundestag , which he gave during his stay in Germany in September 2011 . The Focus quotes Zollitsch as saying: “The basic democratic attitude of our MPs will be shown by their presence in the Bundestag during the speech. It would speak for itself if someone stayed away from this historic hour for our country in protest. "

Supra-diocesan offices

On February 12, 2008 Zollitsch was elected chairman of the German Bishops' Conference. He took office on February 18 and held it until March 12, 2014; Reinhard Marx was his successor . Zollitsch was a member of the Commission for Spiritual Professions and Church Services (Commission IV) of the Bishops' Conference. He is a member of the University Advisory Board of the University of Freiburg, Grand Chancellor of the Gustav Siewerth Academy and Episcopal Protector of Children's Aid Bethlehem . Zollitsch has been a member of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization since 2011 .

Awards and honors

Fonts

  • Office and function of the priest. An investigation into the origin and form of the presbytery in the first two centuries (= Freiburg theological studies , vol. 97) [zugl. Dissertation University of Freiburg]. Herder, Freiburg i. Br .; Basel; Vienna 1974. ISBN 3-451-17077-3 .
  • For the service of volunteers in the parishes and pastoral care units. Freiburg i. Br .: Archbishop Ordinariate 2003.
  • A new beginning in upheaval. Options for a pastoral focus in the Archdiocese of Freiburg. Archbishop's Pastoral Office, Freiburg i. Br. 2003.
  • Seeking people find the star. A companion for the Advent and Christmas season. Herder, Freiburg i. Br. 2008.

literature

  • Gerhard Kiefer: Robert Zollitsch. The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference. A portrait. Herder, Freiburg 2008, ISBN 3-451-29940-2 .
  • Fridolin Keck (Ed.): Shaping Faith - Shaping Faith. On the way with Robert Zollitsch. Herder, Freiburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-451-29915-5 .
  • Bernd Uhl , Fridolin Keck (ed.): Hirtenwerk. Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg . Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 978-3-460-32132-8 .

Web links

Commons : Robert Zollitsch  - Collection of Images
Wikiquote: Robert Zollitsch  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Report in the Konradsblatt ( Memento from December 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Konradsblatt Online: What is important? Conversation between Archbishop Robert Zollitsch and students of the Alfred Delp Realschule in Ubstadt, article from February 25, 2007, accessed on March 2, 2008.
  3. ↑ Archbishop celebrates spiritual office . In: morgenweb.de, October 7, 2010.
  4. ↑ der-donauschwabe-mitteilungen.de (PDF; 238 kB), memorials in the former Yugoslavia, accessed on March 2, 2008
  5. ^ German Bishops' Conference, Curriculum Vitae of Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, accessed on May 9, 2012 ( Memento from October 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ^ Nomina del Arcivescovo Metropolita di Freiburg im Breisgau (Repubblica Federale di Germania) , in: Press Office of the Holy See: Daily Bulletin of June 16, 2003.
  7. ↑ Wording of the oath: Before God and on the holy Gospels, I swear and promise, as befits a bishop, my allegiance to the Federal Republic of Germany and the state of Baden-Württemberg. I swear and promise to respect the constitutional government and to have it respected by my clergy. In my dutiful concern for the welfare and interests of the German state, I will try to prevent any damage that could threaten it in the exercise of the spiritual office assigned to me. Paul Kopf: The swearing-in of Archbishop design. Dr. Robert Zollitsch - Relic of History or Sign of Partnership between State and Church? . In: Freiburg Diocesan Archive . 123rd volume (= 3rd episode, 25th volume), 2003, pp. 9-10.
  8. ^ Welt Online of February 12, 2008 ; schoenstatt.de News from February 15, 2008
  9. ↑ http://www.dbk.de/themen/gespraechsprozess
  10. ↑ Shaping the departure. (PDF; 1.4 MB) Archdiocese of Freiburg, accessed on December 12, 2012 .
  11. ↑ - Easter sermon by Archbishop Robert Zollitsch 2008 (PDF; 29 kB)
  12. ↑ domradio.de ( Memento from July 30, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  13. ↑ spiegel.de, April 16, 2010
  14. ↑ https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Vizegott-besucht-Erdlinge-3390501.html
  15. ^ A b Peter Wensierski, Stefan Berg: It would be a revolution . In: Der Spiegel . No. 8 , 2008, p. 54–55 ( online conversation with Archbishop Robert Zollitsch).
  16. ^ German Bishops' Conference (May 31, 2009).
  17. ↑ http://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/erzbischof-zollitsch-papst-rede-wird-pruefstein-fuer-deutsche-politiker_aid_620820.html
  18. ↑ Nomina di Membri del Pontificio Consiglio per la Promozione della Nuova Evangelizzazione , in: Press Office of the Holy See: Daily Bulletin of January 5, 2011.
  19. ^ Honorary doctorate for Archbishop Zollitsch , Archdiocese of Freiburg, May 28, 2008, accessed on December 12, 2012.
  20. ↑ Archbishop Zollitsch receives Adolph Kolping plaque ( memento from December 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ).
predecessor Office successor
Oskar Saier Archbishop of Freiburg
2003–2013 		Stephan Burger
Karl Cardinal Lehmann Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference
2008–2014 		Reinhard Cardinal Marx
personal data
SURNAME Zollitsch, Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German clergyman, 14th Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Freiburg
DATE OF BIRTH August 9, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Bački Gračac (Filipovo (Philippsdorf)), Vojvodina in the former Yugoslavia