A high-ranking clergyman in the Limburg diocese took his own life after being accused of sexually abusive behavior.

As the employees of the diocese, which has around 580,000 members, learned on Thursday, the cathedral canon Christof May, who was responsible for priestly training, was found dead the previous evening.

This was preceded by a conversation with Bishop Georg Bätzing.

He had confronted the 49-year-old clergyman with accusations that he was said to have abused several people.

Daniel Deckers

responsible for “The Present” in the political editorial department.

  • Follow I follow

As stipulated in the guidelines of the German Bishops' Conference for dealing with the sexual abuse of minors and adult wards, Bätzing had released the clergyman from all offices after the conversation in order to be able to examine and clarify the allegations.

Bätzing had sought the conversation himself

In the weeks before, the responsible "contact persons for indications of factual evidence of suspected sexual abuse" in the diocese of Limburg had become aware of allegations against May.

In accordance with the guidelines, these were recorded in conversations with the persons presumably affected and, after an initial assessment of their plausibility, made accessible to the bishop.

Bätzing, who is also the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, then sought to talk to the priest himself.

As a member of the seven-headed cathedral chapter, responsible for the training of priests and also as a so-called episcopal vicar for church development in the diocese of Limburg, May was directly assigned to him in several respects.

May came from the diocese of Limburg and had studied theology in Frankfurt-Sankt Georgen and at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

In 2011, Bätzing's predecessor Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst made him clergy rector of the Bishop Blum College, which was intended as a "school of faith".

In autumn 2020, May caused a sensation with a sermon in which he spoke out in favor of comprehensive reforms in the Catholic Church, from the blessing of same-sex couples to the admission of women to the sacrament of Holy Orders.

The message to the diocese's employees said: "The death of Christof May affects us all.

We have lost a dedicated and much valued pastor.”