Unpacking the Theater of Cardinal Marx’s Resignation

National Post, 17 June 2021

Pope Francis and the German cardinal clearly intended to communicate something of importance with their public exchange of letters. But what?

I was wrong about the resignation of Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich. 

I wrote here that “it is unlikely that Pope Francis would have permitted [Marx’s resignation letter] to be published if he did not intend to accept it.”

Wrong, but perhaps understandably so. Objectively it remains “unlikely” that a superior would permit someone to publish a resignation letter if he did not intend to accept it. But unlikely things sometimes happen, and Cardinal Marx’ non-resignation is one of them.

What then does it mean?

Pope Francis and Cardinal Marx clearly intended to communicate something of importance with their public exchange of letters. But what? What goal was being pursued?

That cardinals discuss possible resignations with the Holy Father is well known. In April 2002, Cardinal Bernard Law offered to resign but St. John Paul II decided against it at the time; the resignation was accepted in December 2002. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made it known that he asked John Paul more than once for permission to leave the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and return to a life of theological scholarship. 

Cardinal Marx is far more prominent and influential than Cardinal Law; as one of the Pope’s most senior advisers, he is in more regular contact with the Holy Father than almost any other residential bishop. They talk frequently. This matter could easily have been handled in private conversation. 

The decision to stage a public epistolary exchange was therefore not to merely hash things out. It was intended to achieve some goal, to influence events in Germany and the universal Church; remember that Cardinal Marx’s original letter was released publicly in multiple languages.

At the moment, only Cardinal Marx and the Holy Father know. But there are differing possibilities.

Continue reading at the National Catholic Register.