Abuse scandal in the church: Rainer Maria Woelki holds on to office

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The Archbishop of Cologne Rainer Maria Woelki wants to continue

Photo: Christoph Hardt / Future Image / imago images

Even after the resignation of the Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the Archbishop of Cologne Rainer Maria Woelki is apparently determined to continue.

“Here in our Archdiocese, I will do everything as bishop to ensure that the process of coming to terms with it continues and that we and I do justice to Jesus' mission to protect the weak and prevent abuse.

I want to use all my strength for that, «said Woelki in a message for the Cologne Cathedral radio.

As a consequence of the abuse scandal of the Catholic Church, Marx offered the Pope his resignation.

In the opinion of his critics, Woelki would have significantly more reasons for such a step.

The relationship between the conservative cardinal and the majority of the faithful in his diocese is considered to have been broken, and in recent months there has been a wave of people leaving the church.

"I want to do all I can to ensure that the processing continues."

In his declaration, however, Woelki leaves no doubt that he continues to see himself at the head of the largest German diocese.

»I want to do all I can to ensure that the processing continues.

And I want to drive the change. "

Woelki relies on a worldwide synod of bishops

Woelki doesn't mention the reform process of the German Catholics, the Synodal Way.

Marx and the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, emphasized on Friday that fundamental reforms were essential for the Catholic Church.

However, Woelki is considered to be the most decisive critic of the reform process alongside the Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer.

Instead, Woelki refers to the worldwide synod of bishops announced by the Pope.

"This debate is also right there, since we are a universal church." Woelki had warned several times in the past that the synodal path of the German Catholics could lead to a secession from the universal church.

Bätzing had decidedly rejected this.

Canon lawyer: Woelki is no longer tenable

Further criticism of Woelki came from canon lawyer Thomas Schüller.

"He has already missed the point in time for a sovereign resignation without major loss of face," said Schüller.

The tablecloth between Woelki and the believers in his archbishopric was deeply cut, said Schüller. Not least because of this, Pope Francis ordered a review of Woelki's diocese by two Apostolic Visitators. They would prepare a report after their visit to Cologne. "After reading the report, the Pope is completely free to decide about Archbishop Woelki's future," Schüller explained. "He is not bound by the recommendations of the visitors, provided they formulate them in their report."

"In view of the dramatic situation in the archdiocese and the cardinal's obvious incapacity to act, I believe that he cannot be kept in office," said Schüller.

However, a Pope always has to see how he regulates the succession.

According to the Prussian Concordat - a contract between Prussia and the Vatican from 1929 that is still valid today - an election of the Cologne cathedral chapter is planned.

Most of the loyal vassals of Woelkis sat in this cathedral chapter, said Schüller.

"This cathedral chapter offers no guarantee for reforms and for the election of a reform-oriented new archbishop."

Klöckner hopes for a new start

Meanwhile, the CDU Deputy Chief Julia Klöckner also considers far-reaching changes in the Catholic Church to be necessary.

"Dealing with unpleasant topics in particular needs a fresh start, otherwise the church will continue to lose importance," she told the "Bild am Sonntag".

"The church will have a good future and a lot of people if it shows itself to be an open, transparent institution that has its finger on the pulse and accompanies the social debate."

Many church representatives seemed trapped in their structures and the distance to church members was growing, said Klöckner, who is also a member of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK).

The former chairwoman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Margot Käßmann, showed her respect for Marx.

"It's good that he is the first church leader to take personal responsibility for the unbearable abuse scandal," she wrote in an article for "Bild am Sonntag".

“Others like Cardinal Woelki, who protected perpetrators, cling to their office.

Bitter."

Fulda Bishop Gerber: The church faces a double challenge

Bishop Michael Gerber from Fulda emphasized on Sunday during a pontifical ministry for the Boniface feast that the Catholic Church was now facing a decisive course.

"Do we accept the uncomfortable discourse with the questions of the people of our day and do we run the risk that the shape of our church will change?" He asked, according to the announcement.

The church is faced with a double challenge, it said: “The terrible experiences of abuse of power and sexual violence, which have to be dealt with, and a secular society with which neither Boniface nor Paul or other great figures in the history of the Church have had anything to do with . «The people of today are self-confident and independent, enlightened and have a high feeling for justice.

They expected other answers to their questions, according to the bishop: "Answers that no one has had to give before us."

kah / dpa / AFP