German Bishops' Conference expects church tax to fall by up to ten percent because of the economic crisis. But the reserves of the Catholic Church are only slightly affected, according to Archbishop Robert Zollitsch. In a newspaper interview, he also commented on a possible visit to Germany by the pope and Angela Merkel's criticism of Benedict.
With her public criticism of Pope Benedict XVI. German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) was ill-advised after catching the eye of Archbishop Robert Zollitsch. He could understand Merkel's concern with regard to the bishop of the traditionalist Pius Brotherhood and Holocaust denier Richard Williamson, said the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference in an interview with Berlin's "Tagesspiegel" (Monday). "That she wanted to speak out about it, I understand well," Zollitsch said verbatim. But it would have been right to choose the diplomatic way. Merkel had also made demands that had already been met at the time. Zollitsch expressed hope for an early resolution of the conflict over the Pius Brotherhood. "I would like to see this happen this year," he said. To justify this, he referred to surveys in France, according to which the reputation of Benedict XVI. has decreased strongly.
No decision yet on the Pope's trip to Germany