The alleged sins of a controversial Catholic bishop in Germany, Walter Mixa, were listed in a top-secret file compiled at the request of Pope Benedict's senior envoy, a source told the German Press Agency dpa on Monday. A German newspaper, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, said the April file quoted allegations that Mixa, 69, was alcoholic as well as claims by young priests that Mixa showed unwelcome physical affection for them.
Controversy over Mixa, whose April 21 resignation as bishop of Augsburg was accepted by the pope on May 8, has turned nasty in the last few days, with Mixa claiming he was forced out unjustly.
The Conference of German Catholic Bishops was holding a regular meeting in Wuerzburg on Monday.
A spokesman said the Mixa issue was bound to be part of the conversation though it was not on the agenda.
None of the behaviour described by the Sueddeutsche appeared to be illegal, though it would be considered inappropriate for a bishop.
Prosecutors have said past allegations have not disclosed any crime.
The report sent to the papal nuncio or ambassador in Berlin quoted staff saying that Mixa routinely drank wine and spirits during the day as if to maintain a constant blood alcohol level, the paper said.
Media reports say the file quoted two men who felt harassed by Mixa touching them in the 1990s before he became a bishop.
Mixa's lawyer, Gerhard Decker, asserted the church had relied on non-verifiable sources to remove Mixa, saying this was in breach of natural justice.
He said Mixa himself would not be commenting.
In Rome, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told dpa, 'Obviously the pope based his decision on Walter Mixa's resignation on facts.
Where he got them from is secondary.'
The nuncio in Berlin, Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, refused comment.
SIC: M&G