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	German Catholics Leaving Church in Droves: Report Expatica April 14, 2010 http://www.expatica.com/de/news/german-rss-news/german-catholics-leaving-church-in-droves:-report_36966.html Germany's Catholic Church is losing thousands of members in its southern heartland in the wake of revelations about paedophile priests, a press report said on Wednesday. The diocese of Freiburg lost 2,711 members in March, while 2,676 turned their backs on the Church in Rottenburg-Stuttgart, the Suedwest Presse local daily said. In common with other European countries, Pope Benedict XVI's homeland has been rocked in recent weeks by revelations of sexual abuse of children by priests at Church-run schools, mostly several decades ago. Benedict has been accused of turning a blind eye to sexual abuse cases before he became pope and has not commented directly on the revelations in Germany, prompting anger in the Catholic community. The pontiff, 82, has faced criticism over claims that, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger when he headed the Vatican's watchdog for morals and doctrinal issues, and earlier as the archbishop of Munich and Freising, he failed to take action against predator priests. Germans normally pay a church tithe as part of their income tax but they may opt out if they relinquish their membership.
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