Cologne archbishop offers resignation over abuse scandals

FILE PHOTO: The Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, gives an update on the consequences and measures taken after an independent report on abuse cases at the Cologne archdiocese was released last week in Cologne, Germany, March 23, 2021. Oliver Berg/Pool via REUTERS

BERLIN (Reuters) -The Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, has offered his resignation to Pope Francis over his handling of allegations of child sex abuse committed by priests.

An 800-page report into the abuse cases in the archdiocese between 1975 and 2018 found more than 200 abusers and more than 300 victims mostly under the age of 14.