Resignation

The resignation is the voluntary, orderly withdrawal from a high function.

The Catholic Church knows a special form of resignation from office with elderly or sick bishops . Canon law (CIC 1983) recommends in can. 401:

• §1: A diocesan bishop who has reached the age of seventy-fifth is asked to offer his resignation to the Pope , who will decide after weighing all the circumstances.
• §2: A diocesan bishop who is no longer able to carry out his official duties because of his poor health or for another serious reason is expressly asked to offer his resignation.

The Protestant Church also knows the practice of resigning from office, but no specific age limit is common. The procedure also depends on the respective church area. Under special political circumstances, resignations similar to those of the Catholics occur; The Bavarian Church President Friedrich Veit (1861–1948) did not renounce until his fiftieth anniversary in office (1933).

If a forced resignation is revoked , it can lead to disputes or double functions. For example, Gottfried von Hohenlohe , the 14th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order , was still regarded by many Knights of the Order as Grand Master after his revocation in 1303.