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Influential German archbishop offers to resign over church abuse

The World
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who has white hair and beard, is shown in a profile view wearing glasses and sitting.

Archbishop of Munich Reinhard Marx, left, in Rome, Italy, 2019. Marx has offered his resignation to Pope Francis.

Alessandra Tarantino/AP

Top of The World — our morning news roundup written by editors at The World. Subscribe here.

German archbishop resigns
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising and confidante of Pope Francis, offered to resign on Friday over the Catholic Church’s mishandling of clergy sexual abuse cases, saying the church had arrived at “a dead end.” The Vatican didn’t have an immediate response, and Marx said Pope Francis asked him to continue in his role until a decision was made. A 2018 church-commissioned report concluded that at least 3,677 people were abused by clergy in Germany alone between 1946 and 2014, more than half of them below the age of 13.

US China blacklist
US President Joe Biden has expanded a blacklist of Chinese companies started by the Trump administration. The US says the companies have links to Beijing’s military and surveillance industry. China responded angrily to the move, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin saying, “China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.” Biden’s executive order is set to begin on August 2.

Facebook
Facebook is reportedly planning to end a policy that exempted politicians from certain moderation rules on its site. Since 2016, Facebook has had a general “newsworthiness exemption” that allows speech from politicians “to be seen and heard,” regardless of content. Facebook broke from the policy when it “indefinitely” suspended then-US President Donald Trump’s account on January 6 following the riot on the US Capitol. Now the policy could end entirely.

From The World

In Hong Kong, lighting a candle for Tiananmen victims is now a crime

Red building in China with people in masks mingling in front of it
Visitors tour in front of Tiananmen Gate on the eve of the June 4 anniversary in Beijing, June 3, 2021.Andy Wong/AP

In Hong Kong, commemorating victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre is a treasured act of resistance. There is no other place on Chinese soil where a mass remembrance of the tragedy is remotely possible. But, as of this year, anyone even publicly lighting a candle in Hong Kong to recall the massacare on June 4, 1989, in Beijing — a turning point in China’s history in which a movement for greater freedoms was crushed — faces up to five years in prison.

Climate activists get more strategic with their use of the courts

A man victoriously holds up a piece of paper and smiles as other people around him also smile
Milieudefensie director Donald Pols, holding a copy of the verdict, celebrates the outcome in the court case of Milieudefensie, the Dutch arm of the Friends of the Earth environmental organization, against Shell in The Hague, Netherlands, May 26, 2021.Peter Dejong/AP

There’s a growing trend of environmental activists using lawsuits to hold governments and powerful corporations accountable for their roles in climate change.

Double take

How much is a parking space worth to you? In Hong Kong’s affluent The Peak residential area, it seems like a spot for a car is worth a lot. ?A parking space has just sold for a record-breaking $1.3m. If an average parking space is about 180 square feet, that works out to be more than $7,200/sq ft in Hong Kong. Happy Friday! ?

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In case you missed it

Listen: Israel on the verge of a political shake-up

Israeli police officers stand guard as right-wing protesters chant slogans and hold signs.
Israeli police officers stand guard as right-wing protesters chant slogans and hold signs showing Naftali Bennett, and other members of the Yamina party, with Arab politicians Ahmad Tibi, right, and Mansour Abbas, left, during a demonstration in the central Israeli city of Ramat Gan, June 2, 2021. Hebrew sign reads, “Don’t form a left government with supporters of terror.” Sebastian Scheiner/AP

A group of parties spanning Israel’s political spectrum has announced an agreement to form a new ruling coalition. If it holds, longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu is out. And, Peruvians will head to the polls on Sunday to choose their next president. The election underscores how repeated corruption scandals have politically fractured the country. Also, Sri Lanka faces its worst human-made disaster after a container ship carrying oil, toxic chemicals and tons of plastic pellets sank off their coast on Wednesday. And, need a break? Take a moment to watch sea otters playing via livestream on Twitch.

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