Lay groups also applauded the Vatican’s action as an important recognition of the discontent felt by many in German pews who view the Catholic Church as being out of touch with the reality of their lives and concerns. Germany’s Catholics include some of the most liberal voices among the global church’s 1.2 billion followers, and many have long pushed for change.

“Today’s decision will and must serve as a signal for the whole church,” said the liberal Catholic group We Are Church, which is very influential in German-speaking countries. “The monarchical view of a bishop’s office that is not founded on Christian beliefs is out of date.”

Pope Francis has been praised for his embrace of a less opulent papal lifestyle and for his steps to overhaul the ossified Vatican bureaucracy. He appeared Wednesday to be sending a clear message to the German faithful, whose numbers have decreased since a sexual abuse scandal that broke in 2010.

At his general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis told the crowd in Rome that those ordained by the church are expected not only to lead, but to serve their congregations. “A bishop who is not at the service of his community does no good,” the pope said. “The minister completely dedicates himself to his community and loves it with all his heart, it is his family. The bishop and the priest love the church in their community, they strongly love it.”

The 108-page report on the detailed investigation found that Bishop Tebartz-van Elst deliberately released false cost estimates to the public, because he “did not want the building to be a burden for him in public.” Even Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, who was sent by the pope to investigation the situation in Limburg in early September, was not told the truth, the report found, based on a reconstruction of communications among those involved. Church officials refused to comment on whether Bishop Tebartz-van Elst had broken the law, but said prosecutors had been awaiting the outcome of the report, which they urged legal officials to examine.