Pope Francis on Saturday accepted a resignation request from a German bishop who asked to step down because of his mistakes in handling sexual abuse cases. Franz-Josef Bode, who has been the bishop of Osnabrueck, Germany, since 1995, said in a personal statement that his decision to resign “has matured in me in recent months” … Read more
The vice president of the German bishops’ conference said Thursday he had thought about resigning after the publication of a report claiming he mishandled abuse cases, but that he had ultimately decided against it. A report published Sept. 20 said Bishop Franz-Josef Bode mishandled abuse cases in the Diocese of Osnabrück, in northwestern Germany, which … Read more
German Catholic bishops met on Thursday to discuss controversial issues in a meeting of ‘experts’ of the Commission for Marriage and Family of the German Bishops’ Conference. The “Expert Consultation” in Berlin was organized in conjunction with the Institute for Christian Ethics and Politics (ICEP) led by Andreas Lob-Hüdepohl. Among the participants were the Berlin Archbishop … Read more