Status: 03/02/2022 10:56 a.m
Cologne Archbishop Cardinal Woelki has offered Pope Francis his resignation during his sabbatical. This was announced by the archdiocese. The Pope will decide on that in due course.
Accompanied by protests, the Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki ended his five-month break and resumed his ministry.
In a statement, the Archbishop said he had offered the Pope his resignation. Francis will decide “in due course”. The head of the church “ordered” that Woelki resume his service.
“Spiritual time out” since October
The Maria 2.0 reform initiative held a rally against Woelki’s return on the Cologne Cathedral Square. In the Archdiocese of Cologne, the processing of abuse cases in particular has led to a crisis of confidence.
After an investigation, Francis explained that Woelki had made “big mistakes” in this context, especially in communication, but did not want to cover up any crimes. Because of the quarrels, Woelki has been on a “spiritual break” agreed with Pope Francis since October, which he has now ended.