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Cardinal Woelki apologized for errors in dealing with misuse offenses
Photo: Marcel Kusch / dpa
The Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki has admitted mistakes in the processing of abuse offenses and in the crisis communication of the past weeks.
“I blamed myself for that too.
I am so sorry for that, "said the Archbishop in a video message.
"It was and I want to deal with it consistently."
Woelki had commissioned an expert opinion on the handling of diocesan officials with allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests.
The report has long been ready, but Woelki has kept it under lock and key.
He cites legal concerns for this.
Instead, he has ordered a new report to be published on March 18.
SPIEGEL reported on Friday from the report.
Accordingly, it lists more than 300 suspicious transaction reports, more than 300 victims and more than 200 accused.
A lawyer systematically evaluated 236 files and tens of thousands of pages for the report.
Crisis of confidence in the largest German diocese
Woelki's approach to ordering the new report triggered a serious crisis of confidence in the largest German diocese.
The demand for leaving the church has soared in Cologne that the district court has increased the number of online appointments.
The archbishopric was riddled with cracks, said the archbishop in the video message.
"I know that many people in our archdiocese and beyond hold me personally responsible for it."
In the past weeks and months, believers have made their irritation clear to him.
"You find it difficult to understand why a second independent investigation is needed to uncover the systematic connections between decades of abuse in our archdiocese and to show them in detail."
However, he is convinced that this is necessary because he needs "a certain qualitative and quantitative factual situation".
The law firm that prepared the first report rejects all allegations.
"It was and is my intention to achieve a transparent, consistent investigation of the abuse offenses and their systemic circumstances in our archdiocese - of course also with a view to my own person."
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