Pope Francis (84) has rejected the resignation of Cardinal Reinhard Marx (67) from Munich. In a letter published by the Vatican on Thursday, Francis wrote to the cardinal’s request that he, contrary to his wishes, remain in office as Archbishop of Munich and Freising. The Pope described himself in the letter to Marx as “your brother who loves you”.
Marx announced last Friday that he had sent a letter to the Pope in May asking him to be released from his office as Archbishop of Munich and that the Pope had allowed his resignation to be published. The 67-year-old Munich cardinal had justified his request by saying that he wanted to take on “joint responsibility” for the “catastrophe of sexual abuse”.
«Agree that we are dealing with a disaster»
In response to the request, Francis responded to Marx’s petition. In it the Pope confirms that the Church is dealing with a “catastrophe”. He also quoted a passage in which Marx offered to continue to work for the spiritual renewal of the Church that Francis had urged. Francis wrote: “And that is exactly my answer, dear brother – continue as you suggest, but as Archbishop of Munich and Freising.”
The Pope went on to write: «I agree with you that we are dealing with a disaster: the sad history of sexual abuse and the way the Church has dealt with it until recently».
Marx the reformer
Marx is considered a reformer among the Catholic bishops in Germany. He was also involved in the reform debate of the Catholic Church, the «Synodal Way». Marx had received recognition from many in the Catholic Church for his move. His successor as DBK boss, Bishop Georg Bätzing, showed understanding for the decision.
An expert opinion on cases of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is expected this summer, which will primarily work out how sexual abuse of priests in the diocese became possible and whether high-ranking clergy protected offenders.
The abuse scandals in the Catholic Church in Germany have caused the exit wave, which has been noticeable for decades, to swell violently. In 2019, 272,771 departures were recorded. Currently around 27 percent of the German population still belong to the Catholic Church, the number of active churchgoers is far lower. (AFP / SDA)