BERLIN, May 10, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The German Catholic Church is hoping that having a new pope who can speak German will prove a more willing ear to the country's desire for reform, according to its leaders.

While American Robert Francis Prevost is "not a man of quick answers", he is "a man who would listen" to the German Church's wish to modernise and tackle its current crisis, said influential Cardinal Reinhard Marx.

Though Catholicism remains the largest confession in the country -- and there was a German pope, Benedict, from 2005 to 2013 -- the German Church has seen a severe decline years, as worshippers desert an institution discredited by paedophilia scandals.

It has struggled to recruit enough priests to preach to the country's 19.7 million Catholics.

Influential progressives within the German Church, including Marx, have pushed to rejuvenate the institution, including by looking at an end to clerical celibacy and a greater role for women.

Though the proposals drew fire from the Vatican under the late Pope Francis -- who never accepted an invitation to visit Germany -- Marx said he believed his successor "has a good understanding of the situation in Germany".

Marx, Archbishop of Munich, capital of the Catholic heartland- Bavaria, said he had many past discussions with Robert Francis Prevost, the first pope from the United States.

"He knew how to listen, debate, understand my problems," Marx told the ZDF public broadcaster.

The Bishop of Wurzburg in Franconia, Franz Jung, said he was "absolutely delighted" by Prevost's election.

Father Lukas Schmidkunz, the German head of the Augustinian monastic order Pope Leo used to lead, said Prevost came several times to visit them and spoke German so well he could have a "normal" conversation with him.

The German monks even called the American cardinal "Bob", he confided to AFP.

Though Marx said he had not invited the pontiff to Germany yet, "I can very much imagine that we would do so" in the future, he added.