The Archbishop of Cologne, Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki, has rejected doubts about an affidavit he had given about a suspected abuser.
"I will definitely not go there and perjure myself as a bishop," said Woelki of the German Press Agency.
Deutschlandfunk and the "Zeit" supplement "Christ & Welt" had reported that Woelki's office manager had already invited a suspected victim to an interview with the cardinal at the beginning of May.
The alleged victim is said to have been subjected to sexualized violence by former Sternsinger President Winfried Pilz.
In a press law procedure, Woelki had assured that the Pilz case had only been dealt with from the fourth week of June.
According to their own information on Friday, three Catholic priests filed criminal charges against Woelki on suspicion of a false affidavit.
In the interview, Woelki emphasized that his portrayal was absolutely correct.
The person concerned had signed up for an interview with him, and his secretary had made an appointment with him, “without knowing who he might be accusing.
In this respect, it does not contradict my affidavit at all.”
In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, also published on Friday, Woelki also discussed his own future.
At the Cardinal Assembly in Rome earlier this week, Francis spoke to him "in a very nice, friendly atmosphere," said the Archbishop of Cologne in the interview.
With a view to his submitted resignation request, Woelki added: "The Holy Father has not informed me of any decision and has not even touched on this topic."
The cardinal rejected the assessment that the pending decision would lead to a stalemate in the largest German diocese: “What does a stalemate mean?
The archdiocese has a bishop and I do my ministry.
I have the Pope's mandate to do this.” When asked whether he felt he was treated fairly by Francis, Woelki said: “He will have good reasons not to make a decision in the current situation.
I experience him as a very spiritual person who deals with this question very responsibly.”
Regarding the ongoing criticism of his person, the cardinal underlined that there were also supporters who made positive comments about his ministry.
"Nevertheless, I don't live in a bubble of yes-men." He was aware "that there are people who find it difficult to deal with me, who do not share my theological positions or question the way I deal with them".
A crisis of confidence has arisen in the Archdiocese of Cologne, mainly due to the investigation of abuse, which the Pope intervened in last year.
He asked Woelki to submit a resignation letter.
In the meantime, several German bishops had called for a vote from Rome, arguing that the situation in Cologne was also affecting other dioceses.