Pope rejects Cardinal Marx’s offer to quit over abuse When Cardinal Marx led the German Bishops' Conference a study revealed widespread sexual abuse by German clergy. Updated: June 10, 2021 02:53 PM GMT Trending two days after his offer of resignation (Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa /dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP) Pope Francis on Thursday rejected an offer by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a top German bishop, to resign over the mishandling of sexual abuse and cover-up scandals. "Continue as you propose (in your pastoral work) but as Archbishop of Munich and Freising," the pope wrote to Cardinal Marx, referring to the position he was offering to vacate.