German Cardinal Reinhard Marx wants to resign in protest at how the Church deals with sexual abuse

Marx, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Munich and Freising, wrote in his letter to the Pope that it was mainly a matter of taking joint responsibility.

Investigations in the past ten years have shown him that there have been many personal failures and management errors, but also “institutional or systemic failures”.

thought that the last The discussions show that “some in the Church do not want to acknowledge the institution’s shared responsibility or guilt, and thus stand above any dialogue about reform or renewal regarding the abuse scandal.”

With his resignation, the cardinal wants to show that “it is not the service that comes to the fore but the gospel message.”

Reinhard Marx is one of Germany’s most famous bishops and is considered close to the Pope. Until 2020, he chaired the German Bishops’ Conference. His resignation shook the Catholic Church in the country.

– I am shocked. It’s the wrong person who goes to the Rheinische Post, says Thomas Sternberg, head of the German Catholic Central Committee.

Sternberg also mentions That Marx donated most of his private fortune to a foundation for victims of church abuse.

Matthias Kach, a spokesperson for Ekiger Tech, a victims’ association, describes Marx as someone who “was willing to listen.”

– Marx realized that those who drove the wagon in the dirt were not the right people to pull it back, he told the KNA Catholic News Agency.

Marx’s resignation was sent on May 21, but posted online on June 4 after the Pope said the letter could be made public. Pope urges Marx to continue his work until a decision is made.