Although agreeing with him that the clerical abuse crisis is a “catastrophe,” Pope Francis rejected the resignation presented to him by German Cardinal Reinhard Marx as archbishop of the archdiocese of Munich.
“You tell me that you are going through a moment of crisis, and not only you but also the Church in Germany is going through it,” Francis wrote in a letter dated June 10. “The whole Church is in crisis because of the abuse matter; moreover, the Church today cannot take a step forward without addressing this crisis.” The “ostrich policy” of hiding the head in the sand leads nowhere, the pope argues, and the only way to address the crisis is to address it “from our paschal faith.”
Marx, 67, had offered his resignation to Pope Francis on May 21 despite being eight years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 75. In his letter, the prelate said that he wanted to take his share of responsibility for the “catastrophe of sexual abuse” by representatives of the Catholic Church.
The German cardinal, one of the most influential leaders in the church, said he had not expected the Pope to respond so quickly to his offer to step down. He said: “I also had not expected his decision that I should continue on as archbishop of Munich and Freising.”