“The bishop of Augsburg, Mgr. Walter Mixa, handed in his resignation. This was confirmed today by the news office of the diocese, in a release. “On Wednesday, mgr. Mixa asked, in a letter, to resign from his post. The public discussion of the last few weeks about him heavily affected the priests and the congregation of the diocese”. By doing so, Mixa wanted to “avoid further damage to the Church and make for a new beginning”, the release states.
Yesterday, mgr. Robert Zollitsch, President of the German Bishops Conference, had already said he and the archbishop of Munich, mgr. Reinhard Marx, had suggested that the bishop of Augsburg should take some time off. In their talks, the prelates had “reflected with him on how to help clear up the difficult situation in the diocese” and “whether a time of spiritual reflection and physical distance could help create a more objective atmosphere for the required explanations” that Mixa himself hoped for.
For over two weeks, the bishop of Augsburg has been criticised for having abused children and having unduly used the funds of an orphanage. At first, Mixa had even denied the child abuse allegations.