The district dean, whose appointment Limburg bishop Georg Bätzing has faced criticism for the past two weeks, has resigned from his post.
The 64-year-old pastor, whom two women have accused of sexual harassment, offered this himself and the bishop accepted his resignation with immediate effect, the press office of the Diocese of Limburg said.
The diocese itself mentions the name of the priest.
This is Winfried Roth, who heads a parish in the Westerwald and was appointed district dean by Bätzing on December 19, 2020.
Bernhard Biener
Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung
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Bätzing, who is also chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, apologized for the promotion at the time.
"I realize that my decision is difficult for those affected to bear and that it has also caused irritation and annoyance." He didn't see it that way two years ago.
He describes the appointment at the time, for which he had referred to a vote from the district, as wrong.
verbally and physically harassed
In the "Zeit" supplement "Christ und Welt" of May 24, a Catholic parish officer reported that the pastor had verbally and physically harassed her in 2007.
A similar thing happened in 2000 to a Protestant pastor who was still in training at the time.
When Bishop Bätzing, who took office in 2016, found out about the incidents, he met the two women and gave the pastor a warning.
Nonetheless, he promoted the minister to district dean in 2020.
In view of the criticism, the diocese had emphasized that Bishop Bätzing was committed to cultural change in the church, through which those affected were heard, abuse prevented and perpetrators and deeds clearly named.
However, the procedure was also met with incomprehension in church circles.
At the Katholikentag in Stuttgart, there was recently a discussion about the fact that in the church abuse debate, sexualized violence against adults and especially women has been neglected so far.