"With my resignation," Cardinal Marx wrote, "I would like to make it clear that I am willing to personally bear responsibility not only for any mistakes I might have made, but for the Church as an institution which I have helped to shape and mould over the past decades."

A daily guide to what's happening in the Catholic Church

The Vatican has failed to come down clearly on either side of the German intercommunion debate

Another Bavarian bishop has praised the move, however

Communion for Protestants has split the German Church – and now it's the Vatican's problem

They warn that the German Bishops' Conference may have gone too far

The Protestant must 'affirm the faith of the Catholic Church' and wish to end 'serious spiritual distress'

An attempt to clarify the cardinal's comments has only created more confusion