VATICAN, Jan 10 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The top Catholic Church official in Germany, Bishop Karl Lehmann, has issued a veiled call for the pope’s resignation, in the wake of a multi-year struggle over abortion counseling in Germany. Bishop Lehmann, president of the German Bishops Conference, said on Deutschlandfunk radio Sunday: “I have confidence in the Pope that when he feels he is no longer capable of leading the Church with responsibility, he will have the strength and the courage to say: ‘I cannot fulfill this (charge) as is required.’”
Vatican insiders note that the bishop’s language reflected Vatican diplomatic protocols (known as romanita), hence, even though the comment seems innocuous, it was in fact a serious attack against John Paul’s leadership. Reacting to the news of Lehmann’s statement, Vatican Cardinal Alfons Stickler told La Repubblica newspaper in Rome that “no-one has the right to say that the Pope should step down for any reason.” Popes traditionally reign till death.
The current pontiff has caused much distress to liberal factions within the Church that would like to see “reforms” including the weakening of the Church’s stand on abortion. In recent months Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini of Milan, a noted liberal, said the Catholic Church may need to call another Council “to loosen doctrinal and disciplinary knots”. This attitude likely reflects Lehman’s opposition to the current pope’s leadership.
See the AP and BBC coverage of this story.