The Head of the Catholic Church in Germany, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, has written to Pope Francis offering his resignation over what he described as shared “responsibility for the catastrophe of sexual abuse” by church officials.

Marx in his resignation letter to the Pope said his reasons were due to the catastrophe of sexual abuse by church officials in the past few decades.

He said: “In essence, for me it is about sharing responsibility for the catastrophe of sexual abuse by church officials in the past few decades.”

FG’s agreement with judiciary workers on judicial autonomy is unconstitutional – Wike 

He also talked about “a lot of personal failure and administrative errors,” and “also institutional and systemic failure” within the Catholic Church.

He added “that some in the church do not want to acknowledge this element of co-responsibility and thus also complicity of the institution and are therefore opposed to any reform and renewal dialogue in connection with the abuse crisis,”

“In essence, for me, it is about sharing responsibility for the catastrophe of sexual abuse by church officials in the past few decades,” wrote Marx to the Pope.

The Catholic Church had reached a “dead point”. With his resignation from office a personal sign could be set for new beginnings, for a new awakening of the church. “I want to show that the focus is not on the office, but on the mission of the gospel.”

In his personal statement, Marx announced that he had repeatedly thought about resigning from office over the past few months. “Events and discussions of the last few weeks only play a subordinate role.” His request to accept the resignation from office is a very personal decision. “I would like to make it clear: I am ready to take personal responsibility, not only for my own mistakes but for the church as an institution, which I have helped to shape and shape for decades.” (Kel)