Bode had been under intense pressure due to his handling of abuse cases in the church.

Osnabrück University had conducted a three-year study into the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults, which had found that the diocese had dealt with cases of sexual abuse in a bureaucratic and dismissive way. The study had identified 70 offending clerics in the diocese since 1945, and revealed that priests posing a danger to their congregations had been left in office and simply transferred.

Bode was accused of showing too much sympathy for the perpetrators and had admitted “negligence in certain cases.” In December, a victims council filed a complaint against Bode, saying his attitude was still more perpetrator-oriented than victim-oriented. He was accused of declaring a case of sexualized violence against a minor as a “relationship” as recently as last year. The bishop had resisted calls to step down until now.

The Vatican gave no further reason for the pope accepting the resignation of the bishop. However, Bode had tendered his resignation some time ago, and he himself acknowledged the upset that had been caused, particularly among diocese staff. In a personal statement on Saturday, Bode said he had underestimated the consequences of his actions and apologized for his personal mistakes. He hoped that his resignation as bishop could also have a liberating effect.

Bode’s resignation makes him the first German bishop to step down because of the scandal of abuse in the Catholic Church. The pope has so far rejected requests for resignation from other bishops, and a decision is pending in the case of Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.