"When I see how many have come to this beautiful cathedral today, I get very wistful about my heart," Wiesemann said.
The people of the Palatinate would always have made it easy for him through their great commitment, their critical accompaniment and their goodwill. He is very grateful for that.
In his farewell sermon, Wiesemann called for resisting all temptations of today's right-wing populism and right-wing extremism.
In the time marked by great uncertainty, it was necessary to resist any glorification of a supposedly better past. This backward-lookingness is self-destructive, Wiesemann said.
Appeal against abuse of power
The bishop urged those responsible in the Church to continue to work on sexualized violence and abuse of power. Never should the mistakes of the past be ignored, covert or denied.
The encounters and conversations with those affected by abuse had personally shaken and changed him deeply, Wiesemann said. "It was experiences of shameful disempowerment and abysmal impotence." Any form of abuse of power must be prevented in the Church and society.
Catholics from all over the diocese and representatives from politics, society and the church had come to the fully occupied Speyer Cathedral. Among them the Palatinate Church President Dorothee Wüst, the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference Heiner Wilmer and other Catholic bishops.
Wilmer paid tribute to Wiesemann as a "great shepherd." Firmly rooted in the ecclesial tradition, Wiesemann has thought theology further and "set the tone in the sometimes heated debates in such a way that a new, surprising chord could be heard".
Wiesemann's decision to resign deserves respect, Wilmer said. His letter to believers and employees of the diocese testifies to a person "who remains deeply a God-seeker and knows about his own limits."
Open handling of depression
The 66-year-old Wiesemann had resigned as bishop in mid-August for health reasons.
Previously, Wiesemann had openly reported on his depressive illness. He no longer has the strength to lead the traditional diocese. He also referred to the cases of abuse and sexualized violence in the diocese of Speyer, which would have deeply shaken him.
Wiesemann had been a bishop in Speyer since 2008. When the pope will appoint a successor is currently unclear. Experience has shown that this can take several months.