Last week, the rector of a German Catholic seminary was found dead in what appeared to be a suicide.
Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg had removed Father Christof May from all of his positions the day before.
According to reports, Bätzing, the current chairman of the German bishops’ conference, resigned owing to charges of abuse.
On June 9, the Diocese of Limburg received word of May’s death for the first time. The email was received by CNA Deutsch, the Catholic Reporting Agency’s German-language news partner.
It reads: “We are devastated and full of grief. Christof May was questioned yesterday in a personal conversation about allegations of abusive behavior. Subsequently, Bishop Georg Bätzing had removed him from all offices in order to be able to review and investigate the allegations.”
“The death of Christof May affects us all. We have lost a committed and much-appreciated pastor.”
The death was publicly acknowledged on June 10 by the Limburg diocese, but no other information were provided.
The 49-year-old rector left a suicide note, according to the German publication Frankfurter Neue Presse, prompting a search including police, firefighters, and representatives of the German Red Cross. On the morning of June 9, his body was discovered in a forest after a police helicopter spotted his car nearby.
“No indications of external causes or a criminal act that led to the death,” a top prosecutor told the newspaper.
Bishop Bätzing was recently criticized for promoting a priest accused by two women of sexual misconduct. After being appointed bishop of the Diocese of Limburg in 2016, Bätzing learnt of the problem and spoke with both victims.
The diocese stated that “Bätzing made it unmistakably clear that he disapproved of the priest’s behavior. He issued a monitio, an admonition in written form.” The priest “asked for forgiveness, and showed credible remorse,” according to the report.
In 2020, Bätzing promoted the priest to district dean, prompting the two victims to go public with their allegations. As a result, the priest made the decision to resign as district dean.