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Vicar General Markus Hofmann (03/23/2021): "Proposed new distribution of tasks correct"
Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa
The deputy of the Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Vicar General Markus Hofmann, vacates his post.
Hofmann offered to fill his position on July 1, Woelki said in a statement from the archdiocese.
Hofmann is considered a loyal supporter of Woelkis, but was increasingly criticized together with him.
Woelki justified the decision by saying that he wanted to reorganize the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne in the Catholic Church.
During his five-month break, it became clear to him that the administration would have to be managed by an expert in the future.
Hofmann supports the route: "The tasks in a general vicariate have become so diverse that I consider the planned new distribution of tasks to be correct and progressive," he said according to the message.
It is said that he will release his post in the summer.
How things will continue for Hofmann is unclear.
Woelki is currently in an unexplained state of limbo.
He has offered his resignation to Pope Francis, but he has not yet made a decision.
Instead, Woelki resumed his official duties at the beginning of March after the break and asked the faithful for a second chance.
The Diocesan Pastoral Council, the cardinal's most important advisory body, is meeting in Düsseldorf this weekend.
The core of the meeting is whether the majority of the diocesan pastoral council supports Woelki's request for a second chance.
Woelki triggered a crisis in the largest German diocese in 2020 when he decided not to publish an expert opinion on how diocese officials deal with allegations of abuse.
He gave legal reasons for doing so.