Bishop Mixa's offer of Resignation is not an Admission of Guilt

Archbishop Zollitsch and Archbishop Marx take Bishop Mixa's part: "We have much to thank our brother for."

Munich (kath.net) The Freiburg Archbishop Robert Zollitsch gave a clarification on this Thursday at a press conference about Bishop Walter Mixa and made it clear, that the offer of resignation by Bishop Mixa is no admission of guilt.

Zollitsch literally said: "Bishop Dr. Walter Mixa has offered the Holy Father his resignation of his office as Bishop of Augsburg and the Military Archbishop of the Bundesrepublik Germany. This hard step has earned respect. Through it the Bishop of the Church of Augsburg will be able to make a new beginning. The German Bishops Conference acknowledged the decision of the Bishop of Augsburg. We have our brother much to be thankful for: During his time as Bishop of Eichstätt (1996 – 2005) and from 2005 as Bishop of Augsburg.

As member of the pastoral commission, as acting director of the representative of the Liturgy Commission and as member of the commission for marriage and family, Bishop Walter Mixa gave a manifold impulse to our work. He has earned special commendation for his very engaging dedication as the Catholic Military Bishop of the German Bundeswehr.

I had personally given consideration to Bishop Dr. Mixa, together with the current Metropolitan, Archbishop Dr. Reinhard Marx, as to whether he could not collect new strength in a time of spiritual contemplation in a difficult situation in an atmosphere of great dispassion. The current decision of Bishop Mixa means a loss for our Bishop's conference.

Even the presider of the Freisinger Bishop's Conference and Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Reinhard Marx, had stated this position on Thursday upon the offer of resignation by the Bishop of Augsburg, Walter Mixa: "The Bishop of Augsburg has offered the resignation of his office with respect to the Holy Father." The Bavarian Bishops thank their brother Walter Mixa for the years of his collaboration in the Freisinger Bishop's Conference. Now it comes to us to find a good common way for the future of the Diocese of Augsburg.

Link to Kathnet...