Archdiocese of Cologne: Papal envoy complete abuse investigation

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Cologne Cathedral (symbol picture)

Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa

They were there for a week talking to victims of sexual abuse.

The Stockholm Bishop, Cardinal Anders Arborelius, and the Bishop of Rotterdam, Johannes van den Hende, were created by the Pope to investigate the abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Cologne.

You should get an idea of ​​the “complex pastoral situation” in the diocese on site.

They should also investigate possible mistakes made by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki and other church representatives.

Now the two so-called apostolic visitators have completed their investigation and left Cologne again, according to a message sent by the Vatican embassy in Berlin.

According to the Papal Nunciature, the results of the investigation are to be made available to Pope Francis.

The Pope's envoy met them not only with victims of sexual abuse, but also with Catholic lay people, representatives of various bodies, as well as priests and bishops.

They also "took note of" e-mails and letters.

The dpa news agency learned from church circles that many of the respondents said they were critical of Woelki to the visitors. It is by no means just about victims of sexual abuse or well-known critics of the cardinal, but sometimes also about church people who hold similar conservative views as he. The visitors also spoke to Woelki himself.

Another interlocutor was the Lord Mayor of Solingen, Tim Kurzbach (SPD), who as chairman of the diocesan council represents the practicing Catholics of the archdiocese. "It was a good conversation," Kurzbach told the dpa. "I got the impression they listened well." Several abuse victims had said that too. Patrick Bauer, a former member of the Advisory Board for Affected Persons, said: "At the beginning I asked just jokingly:› Where's the Inquisition here? ‹But that's exactly what it wasn't." Arborelius and van den Hende had proven to be very empathetic listeners.

The two visitors would now prepare the report for the Pope in a timely manner, said the Münster canon lawyer Thomas Schüller.

This report will deal with their two audit assignments: on the one hand, the way the archdiocese deals with cases of sexual abuse and those affected, and on the other, the difficult pastoral situation in the archbishopric.

For months there has been a wave of resignations from the church and calls for resignation from Cardinal Woelki.

However, the 64-year-old wants to stay in office.

The report will be written in Italian, said Schüller.

“The report goes only to Pope Francis and the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Quellet.

It is secret and, in all experience, will not be published unless the Pope orders it. «How the Pope ultimately decides on Woelki is open.

In connection with allegations of covering up cases of sexual abuse, Woelki was personally exonerated in an expert report presented in March.

The scandal surrounding the events in the Archdiocese of Cologne caused an uproar in the Catholic Church.

khabbr / dpa / AFP