German church urges quick decision on divisive archbishop

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the German Bishops’ Conference is urging Pope Francis to quickly decide on the future of a prominent archbishop who faces strong criticism for his handling of the church’s sexual abuse scandal. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, said he offered his resignation to the pontiff after returning from a months-long “spiritual timeout” last week. The conservative Woelki has become a deeply divisive figure in the German church after triggering a public furor over his handling of reports on how church officials in his archdiocese dealt with abuse cases.