The vicar general of the Catholic bishop of Limburg, Wolfgang Roesch (63), has resigned over mistakes he made in handling allegations of abusive behaviour levelled against a priest.
Roesch failed to inform Bishop Georg Baetzing about accusations against Christof May although he had known about them since 2015, the diocese said on Tuesday.
May was promoted to the position of rector of the seminary in 2018. He committed suicide in 2022, a day after Baetzing, who is also president of the German Bishops’ Conference, had suspended him from all his ministries in order to investigate the accusations.
After May’s death, Baetzing had commissioned an investigation into the matter. “The results are now available and have made it clear to me that I made mistakes,” Roesch wrote in a letter to the employees of the diocese. “I am personally taking consequences for this by asking to be relieved of the office of vicar general. I ask forgiveness from all those who have been affected and hurt by my misconduct.”
Bishop Baetzing had released May from all duties in June 2022 to investigate allegations that several people had made against him. May was found dead one day later.
The diocese announced in November that the allegations had been substantiated and would have resulted in disciplinary measures against May. The allegations would not have led to a criminal prosecution, it added.
Originally reported by KNA Germany.
