BERLIN (AP) — The Munich archdiocese says a Congolese-born priest is stepping down from his job in a town outside Munich after receiving racial abuse and death threats.

The Roman Catholic archdiocese said Monday that Olivier Ndjimbi-Tshiende will step down as parish priest in Zorneding, southeast of the Bavarian capital, on April 1. It said in a statement that it "very much regrets the decision," but accepts it and stands by Ndjimbi-Tshiende.

Ndjimbi-Tshiende studied and worked in Munich in the 1990s and returned to work for the archdiocese in 2005. He had held the job in Zorneding since 2012. He announced his departure to his congregation on Sunday.

The threats and abuse came after the priest last year criticized a local politician's assertion that Bavaria was being overrun by refugees.