The resignation-denunciation letter of Cardinal MarxThe German synodal journey enters a new phaseBlessings to homosexual unions in Germany: who was interested?Cardinal Marx's recent resignation presented to Pope Francis, which we reported on in Omnes and which you can read hereThe letter, in which the cardinal expressed his desire to leave the leadership of the diocese of Munich and Freising because of the scandal of child abuse in Germany, in a gesture of denunciation so that the Church would assume responsibility, has given rise to abundant speculation about the situation. Now comes the Holy Father's response in a letter published today, June 10, 2021.
Cardinal Marx has always been a promoter of the fight against abuse, as is shown by his interest in setting up a foundation in Munich dedicated to this. As president of the Bishops' Conference, he also promoted the synodal path to address the lack of credibility of the German Church due to these scandals.
His harmony with Pope Francis is manifest, as evidenced by the fact that the Holy Father called him to join the Council of Cardinals, which seeks to assist the Pontiff in the governance of the Church and reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis also appointed him President of the Council for the Economy.
Reinhard Marx was appointed archbishop of Munich-Friesland on November 30, 2007, and a cardinal since 2010, created by Pope Benedict XVI on November 20, 2010. He received the title of Cardinal Presbyter of St. Corbinianus. At that time, he was the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. In 2020 he announced his decision not to renew his mandate as head of the Episcopal Conference.
We reproduce below the full letter of Pope Francis:
Dear brother,
first of all, thank you for your courage. It is a Christian courage that does not fear the cross, does not fear to be humbled before the tremendous reality of sin. This is what the Lord did (Phil 2. 5-8). It is a grace that the Lord has given you and I see that you want to assume it and guard it so that it may bear fruit. Thank you.
You tell me that you are going through a moment of crisis, and not only you but also the Church in Germany is going through it. The whole Church is in crisis because of the abuse affair; moreover, the Church today cannot take a step forward without assuming this crisis. The ostrich policy leads nowhere, and the crisis has to be assumed from our paschal faith. Sociologisms and psychologisms are useless. To assume the crisis, personally and communally, is the only fruitful way because we do not come out of a crisis alone but in community and we must also keep in mind that we come out of a crisis better or worse, but never the same.1.
You tell me that since last year you have been reflecting: you set out on a journey, seeking God's will with the decision to accept it, whatever it may be.
I agree with you in describing as a catastrophe the sad history of sexual abuse and the way the Church dealt with it until recently. To become aware of this hypocrisy in the way of living the faith is a grace, it is a first step that we must take. We have to take charge of history, both personally and as a community. We cannot remain indifferent in the face of this crime. To assume it supposes to put ourselves in crisis.
Not everyone wants to accept this reality, but it is the only way, because making "resolutions" to change one's life without "putting the flesh on the grill" does not lead to anything. Personal, social and historical realities are concrete and should not be assumed with ideas; because ideas are discussed (and it is good that they are) but reality must always be assumed and discerned. It is true that historical situations must be interpreted with the hermeneutics of the time in which they occurred, but this does not exempt us from taking charge and assuming them as the history of the "sin that besieges us". Therefore, in my opinion, every Bishop of the Church must assume it and ask himself what should I do in the face of this catastrophe?
The "mea culpa" in front of so many historical errors of the past we have done it more than once before many situations although we personally have not participated in that historical conjuncture. And this same attitude is what we are being asked to adopt today. We are asked for a reform, which - in this case - does not consist in words but in attitudes that have the courage to put themselves in crisis, to assume the reality whatever the consequences may be. And every reform begins with oneself. The reform in the Church has been made by men and women who were not afraid to enter into crisis and let themselves be reformed by the Lord. This is the only way, otherwise we will be nothing more than "reform ideologues" who do not put their own flesh at stake.
The Lord never accepted to make "the reform" (allow me to use the expression) neither with the Pharisee or the Sadducee or the Zealot or the Essene project. He did it with his life, with his history, with his flesh on the cross. And this is the way, the way that you yourself, dear brother, assumed when you presented your renunciation.
You rightly say in your letter that burying the past leads to nothing. Silences, omissions, giving too much weight to the prestige of the Institutions only lead to personal and historical failure, and lead us to live with the burden of "having skeletons in the closet", as the saying goes.
It is urgent to "ventilate" this reality of abuses and of how the Church proceeded, and let the Spirit lead us to the desert of desolation, to the cross and to the resurrection. It is the path of the Spirit that we must follow, and the starting point is humble confession: we have made a mistake, we have sinned. Neither the polls nor the power of the institutions will save us. We will not be saved by the prestige of our Church, which tends to conceal its sins; we will not be saved by the power of money or the opinion of the media (so often we are too dependent on them). We will be saved by opening the door to the Only One who can do it and confessing our nakedness: "I have sinned", "we have sinned"... and weeping, and stammering as best we can that "depart from me, for I am a sinner", a legacy that the first Pope left to the Popes and Bishops of the Church. And then we will feel that healing shame that opens the doors to the compassion and tenderness of the Lord who is always close to us. As Church we must ask for the grace of shame, and may the Lord save us from being the shameless prostitute of Ezekiel 16.
I like the way you end your letter: "I will gladly continue to be a priest and bishop of this Church and I will continue to be involved in pastoral work as long as I consider it sensible and opportune. I would like to dedicate the future years of my service in a more intense way to pastoral care and to commit myself to a spiritual renewal of the Church, as you tirelessly request".
And this is my answer, dear brother. Continue as you propose, but as Archbishop of Munchen and Freising. And if you are tempted to think that, by confirming your mission and not accepting your resignation, this Bishop of Rome (your brother who loves you) does not understand you, think of what Peter felt before the Lord when, in his own way, he presented him with his resignation: "Depart from me, for I am a sinner", and listen to the answer: "Shepherd my sheep".
With fraternal affection.
FRANCISCO
Notes
- There is a danger of not accepting the crisis and taking refuge in conflicts, an attitude that ends up suffocating and preventing any possible transformation. Because the crisis possesses a germ of hope, the conflict - on the contrary - of despair; the crisis involves ... the conflict - on the other hand - entangles us and provokes the aseptic attitude of Pilate: "I am innocent of this blood. It is your business" (Mt. 27:24) ... which has done and is doing us so much harm.
