Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, has offered his resignation to Pope Francis after facing criticism for how he dealt with allegations of child abuse in the church. The Cologne archdiocese said Wednesday that the pope would make a decision on the matter “in due course.” Cardinal Woelki is expected to remain in his post in the meantime. “I placed my service and office as Archbishop of Cologne at the Holy Father’s disposal, so that he is free to decide what best serves the Church of Cologne,” he wrote in a letter to his congregation. Woelki took a five-month break from his duties in September after the Vatican accused him of serious mistakes in his handling of reports of sexual abuse at the hands of priests.
What is the cardinal accused of?
Cardinal Woelki faced a backlash in 2020 for refusing to publish the results of an expert report he himself had commissioned into sexual abuse in the archdiocese. He cited legal reasons for not releasing the information. A subsequent report found hundreds of cases of suspected sexual abuse in the Cologne archdiocese. nm/rt (AFP, dpa, epd, Reuters)
