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Cologne / Munich (dpa) - The Advisory Board for those affected in the Archdiocese of Cologne has expressed relief about the decision of the Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx to waive the Federal Cross of Merit.
He thinks the step is good, advised board member Peter Bringmann-Henselder of the German press agency.
"It shows that high church princes are finally taking a look at those affected."
The Federal Cross of Merit should have been presented to the former chairman of the German Bishops' Conference on Friday in Berlin. On Tuesday, however, Marx asked Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to refrain from the award. Previously, the Advisory Board in the Archdiocese of Cologne had appealed to the Federal President not to carry out the award for the time being. Against Marx, the accusation is still in the room, as a bishop and cardinal to have covered up the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests.
Bringmann-Henselder said he would have returned his own Federal Cross of Merit if Marx had also received the award.
"Then it is no longer an honor if those responsible in the Catholic Church receive a greater award for their actions than we, who have been fighting for the recognition of the victims of abuse for years," criticized Bringmann-Henselder.
Marx was to receive the Great Cross of Merit with a star, one of the highest levels.
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"I hope other cardinals and bishops will draw the conclusions from their behavior, as Bishop Heße from Hamburg did," Bringmann-Henselder continued.
The Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Heße had asked Pope Francis for his release after allegations of cover-up had been raised against him in an abuse report.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210428-99-381555 / 2