German Bishop Walter Mixa Offers ot Resign

Walter Bishop Mixa was reported to have told the Pope in a resignition letter that this diocese needs a "new start". Firstly, the bishop denied hitting children then said he may have slapped them and apologised. The Roman Catholic Church is under the spotlight since the news about abuse of children spread around Europe. The Bishop was also accused of the beatings in 1970s and 1980s but has not been accused for any sexual abuse. These problems really concern the people in Germany as well as other countries.

Furthermore, Walter Mixa wrote the following: "I ask the forgiveness fo all those to whom I may have been unfair and to those whom I may have cost heartache." He wrote this to Pope Benedict on Wednesday, according to quotes reported by Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. He said he was "fully aware" of his "weakness". Bishop Mixa also issued an apology earlier this week, saying he was "sorry for causing many people grief" without elaborating.

It was not immediatly clear whether Pope Benedict would accept his offer of resignation. On Wednesday the Pope promised to "take action" over abuses against children by priests, in his most direct remarks to date on the recent allegations.



What Can I Say?

I think it is absolutely a right thing to accept the offer of Mixa since he has admitted his faults. The Churches should be very careful with people like Bishop Walter Mixa when appointing them as bishop. No one has the right to be treated like that, especially not children whom they learn certain things in Church. Now this problem spread to Europe and other countries in the world, it should be topic to put on table and talk about it all over to sort things out.

If I look back to Mixa, I think it can be said that these should be also a part of "sexual abuse" in his treats because he used the words "fully aware" and "weakness". This simply means that "he might be involved in sexual abuse of children". On the other hand, it is also a good thing that he apologised for his deeds after admitting. I certainly hope that no replication of this kind of issues will be seen in the future.


Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8636625.stm