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Archbishop of Cologne Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki: "Healthy" due to Corona
Photo: Andreas Rentz / POOL / EPA
Cologne Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki has been infected with the corona virus.
The 65-year-old had tested positive on Sunday, the Archdiocese of Cologne announced on Monday.
He immediately went into quarantine at home and canceled all appointments for this week.
He feels "in poor health," said Woelki.
On Thursday, around 500 believers celebrated a mass in front of Cologne Cathedral on the occasion of the Catholic holiday Corpus Christi before moving through the city center.
"I am pleased that after two years of the pandemic we are gathered again in such large numbers," Woelki said.
Whether he got infected on this occasion remains speculation.
As the Archdiocese of Cologne announced, Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Steinhäuser also tested positive for the corona virus.
Steinhäuser represented Woelki at the head of the archdiocese between October and March.
Hildesheim Bishop Heiner Wilmer also tested positive for Covid-19.
According to a spokesman, Wilmer also immediately went into quarantine.
Due to their infection, Woelki and Wilmer canceled their participation in the Permanent Council of the Bishops' Conference this Monday in Berlin.
Recently, the diseases had accumulated among the German bishops.
At the beginning of June, Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker of Paderborn and Bishops Franz Jung from Würzburg and Karl-Hein Wiesemann from Speyer reported a corona infection within a few days.
Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx and Dresden Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers also fell ill with Covid-19.
ala/dpa