Posted on 06/04/2021 7:14:16 AM PDT by Marchmain
ROME – Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, Germany, has offered his resignation to Pope Francis, despite being eight years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 75, saying he wants to take his share of responsibility for the “catastrophe of sexual abuse” by representatives of the Catholic Church.
Under church law, a bishop may offer his resignation, but it’s always up to the pope to the decide whether to accept it. In the meantime, Marx said in a message to reporters that Francis has asked him to remain in office.
“It is important to me to share the responsibility for the catastrophe of the sexual abuse by Church officials over the past decades,” Marx wrote to Pope Francis in a letter dated May 21 that was meant to be as “confidential and personal,” but which was released to the media by the Munich archdiocese after the pontiff reportedly told Marx the letter would be made public.
“The investigations and reports of the last ten years have consistently shown that there have been many personal failures and administrative mistakes, but also institutional or ‘systemic’ failure,” the cardinal wrote.
The Catholic Church in Germany has long been struggling to address the clerical abuse crisis, with several top-ranking officials, including Marx but also Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne among others, accused of mishandling allegations.
Marx, who is a member of the council of cardinals who advice the pope on the reform of the Roman curia, began his letter to the pontiff saying that “undoubtedly” the Church in Germany is going through moments of crisis. There are many reasons for this crisis, he wrote, including “our own failure, by our own guilt.”
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnow.com ...
It's just a stunt to take attention away from the ongoing German schism.
Marx said in a message to reporters that Francis has asked him to remain in office.
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