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Pope Francis rejects Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s resignation as Archbishop of Munich. The Pope wrote to the cardinal: “Thank you for your Christian courage, not afraid to be humiliated before the truth of sin.” “Tackling the crisis, personally and collectively, is the only fruitful way.”
By Vatican News
“If you are inclined to think that by affirming your letter and not accepting your resignation, that this bishop of Rome (your brother who loves you) does not understand you, consider what Peter felt before the Lord when, in his own way, he submitted his resignation,” presenting himself as a sinner, and receiving the answer: “Feed my sheep.” With this image, Pope Francis concludes his letter rejecting the resignation submitted by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising. In a letter to the Pope dated May 21 – later published – the German cardinal explained the reasons for this gesture. He said that he had asked the Pope to step down from the leadership of the German diocese because of the abuse scandal in Germany and to return the episcopate, which he considered insufficient.
Pope Francis responded with a letter written in Spanish and published by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday in Spanish and German. In it, the Pope thanks Cardinal Marx for the “Christian courage that is not afraid of the cross, not afraid of humiliation in the face of the immense reality of sin.” Francis recalls that “the whole Church is in crisis because of the issue of abuse,” asserting that “the Church today cannot take a step forward without addressing this crisis” because “the politics of the ostrich leads nowhere, and the crisis must be addressed through our paschal faith.” Sociology And psychology is useless.” Therefore, he adds, “Tackling the crisis, personally and collectively, is the only fruitful way, because we do not come out of a crisis alone but from society.”
The Pope agreed with the description of the crisis proposed by Cardinal Marx in his letter: “I agree with you in describing the sad history of sexual abuse, and the way in which the Church has dealt, until recently, as a catastrophe. Realizing this hypocrisy in the way we live our faith is a blessing, it is a step A first we must take. We must take ownership of history, personally and as a society. We cannot remain indifferent to this crime. To take it up is to put ourselves in crisis.”
Pope Francis added that it is true that historical situations must be explained by interpretations of the time in which they occurred, but this does not absolve us from having them and considering them a history of the sin that besets us. Therefore, the Pope added, “In my opinion, every bishop of the Church must take it upon himself and ask himself: What shall I do in the face of this catastrophe?” “
The Pope remembers the phrase “mea culpa” repeated several times “in the face of many historical errors in the past”. Today, he explains: “We are required to reform which – in this case – does not consist in words but in attitudes that have the courage to face the crisis, to bear the reality whatever the consequences. And every reform begins with oneself. Reform in the Church was carried out by men and women who were not afraid to enter into a crisis And they let themselves be reformed by the Lord.”
This is the only way, said the Bishop of Rome, “otherwise we would be no more than ‘ideologists of the Reformation’ not putting their own body on the line,” as Jesus did, “with his life, with his story, with his flesh on the cross.” And this, Francis admitted, “is the path taken by you, dear brother, in making your concession,” because “burial of the past leads us nowhere. Silence, omission, and giving so much importance to the prestige of institutions only lead to personal and historical failure” .
Pope Francis said that it is “salt” to allow the Spirit “to lead us into the desert of desolation, to the Cross and the Resurrection. We must follow the path of the Spirit, and the starting point is a humble confession: We have sinned, we have sinned.”
In his letter, the Pope insisted on this; Neither opinion polls nor institutional strength will save us. The prestige of our Church, which tends to hide its sins, will not save us. We will not be saved by the power of money or the opinion of the media (we often rely on them too much). We will save by opening the door to whoever can [save us], and by confessing our nakedness: “I have sinned,” “We have sinned …” and by crying, stammering, as much as possible, “Get away from me, I am guilty,” – the legacy that the first pope left to the popes and bishops of the Church.
And with this, the Pope explained, “we will feel that healing shame that opens the doors to the mercy and tenderness of the Lord who is always close to us.” Francis also said he appreciated the end of Marx’s message and his willingness to continue “to be a priest and bishop of this church,” committed to spiritual renewal.
The Pope concluded his speech by saying: “This is my answer, dear brother.” “Continue as you suggest, but as Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Remembering that the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Peter who said to Jesus, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinner,’ he can understand well, invites him to listen to the answer which the Nazarene gave to the Prince of the Apostles: ‘Feed my sheep.'”
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