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Explosive report on abuse cases in Munich - did Pope Benedict know about it?

2020-09-22T12:05:28.661Z


The Catholic Church in Germany is confronted with new allegations. It's about collective looking the other way in cases of abuse. What does Joseph Ratzinger have to do with it?


The Catholic Church in Germany is confronted with new allegations.

It's about collective looking the other way in cases of abuse.

What does Joseph Ratzinger have to do with it?

  • New fuss about

    cases of abuse

    within the

    Catholic Church

    in Germany.

  • A priest could allegedly

    afford

    wrongdoing

    for years

    without

    receiving

    just punishment

    .

  • Did senior cardinals

    try

    to cover up the

    Peter H. case

    ?

Munich - For years, poor handling of the

processing of cases of abuse has

cast a

bad light on the

Catholic Church

in Germany.

The misconduct of a priest that has now become known since the late 1970s shows, according to the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

, that the largest religious community still has a long way to go when it comes to just punishing offenders.

Church: Cases of abuse in Essen and Munich - Did Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger know about it?

This is the story of

Peter H.

, who is said to have abused children as a chaplain in Essen, according to parents.

In 1980 the man moved to the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising to go into therapy.

However: The accused was also used as a pastor and allegedly could have committed

further cases of abuse

, the

SZ describes with

reference to leaked documents.

Thereupon Peter H., now 72 years old and retired, received only a suspended sentence and was able to commit further acts as a pastor.

Are the allegations correct?

It would be a prime example of a lack of reappraisal within the Catholic Church, which has seen an enormous decline in membership due to this inaction.

What cases are the accused charged with?

Five cases are alleged to have been of

moderate sexual abuse

by sleeping naked in bed with minors.

Two other cases are

minor offenses

.

It allegedly wasn't, however: two dozen cases would not be included in the verdict because no proceedings had previously been initiated or

evidence was missing,

the report said. 

The crucial question is, which leaders in the Church have turned away instead of intervening?

The

South German

also explicitly mentions

Joseph Ratzinger

, at that time

Archbishop of Munich-Freising

and later

Pope Benedict XVI.

in the Vatican.

Cardinals Franz Hengsbach (Essen, now deceased) and Friedrich Wetter (Munich) are also accused of not having taken the necessary measures against the priest.

For some time there have been allegations that cases of sexual abuse were also covered or hushed up on the part of Pope Benedict.

Members of the Catholic Church campaign for the clarification of the Peter H. case

How did the explosive allegations get to the

SZ

?

Companions and insiders of the Catholic Church are deeply affected by the less draconian punishment of the accused and are calling for a reappraisal.

Corresponding documents were leaked to the newspaper.

The explosive letter shows how the church leadership, including the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,

protected

the

priest with a pedophile

from a more just punishment - and refused to help the victims.

According to the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

, the

document came

from May 2016 and was created by the Church Court of the

Archdiocese of Munich-Freising

.

Ultimately, it is about the question of how crimes can be dealt with fairly within the Catholic Church: The case of Peter H. therefore shows that there is still a long way to go within the institution.

Internally, the priest had been subjected to a punishment: he had lost his title of pastor and had to live permanently with a reduced pension.

However, as the

SZ

explains, the man continues to receive a

pension

and

an apartment

from the church

.

This mildness is likely to be a blow for many believers - and some in the dioceses of Munich and Essen see it the same way.

In 2010, at the height of the

abuse scandal in Germany

, efforts were made to remove the man from the priesthood.

But new bishops from Munich and also Essen failed with the project - the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome had rejected the request.

Instead, according to the

SZ, he was

hastily

retired

.

Cases of abuse in the Catholic Church: Processing is progressing, but very slowly

Overall, the document allegedly clarifies grievances in the investigation of crimes, as the

SZ

explains.

In the case of Peter H., this began in Essen in the late 1970s, where he was spared a complaint to the public prosecutor's office.

Due to further incidents, there is a

court

conviction

in Munich

- but it ends with a suspended sentence.

From now on, the chaplain is allowed to continue to perform his duties and is also responsible for child and youth work in various Bavarian communities.

According to the

Süddeutscher Zeitung

, there were

misconduct in clarifying the matter in

both Essen and Munich.

The

case of Peter H. never experienced

proper

church proceedings

.

The responsible ecclesiastical court cannot objectively issue a judgment within the Catholic Church system, is one of the thesis of the article.

Reform process in the church: "Synodal path" allegedly torpedoed by the Vatican

Improvement is in sight, but the process seems lengthy.

Diocese spokesman Bernhard Kellner from Munich says that the archdiocese is currently

investigating

all

files of possible perpetrators

- especially with regard to the question of where those responsible would have failed.

Does this also affect

Pope

emeritus

Benedict XVI

, who raises serious allegations in his biography?

Meanwhile, at the traditional autumn plenary meeting of the German Bishops' Conference starting Tuesday, the question arises of how the Catholic Church is shaping its future.

The focus here is on an urgently needed reform process under the heading “Synodal Way”.

But there is supposedly enormous resistance within the Catholic Church: According to canon lawyer Thomas Schüller, the process is suffering from strong pressure from the Vatican.

Since his resignation, Benedict has lived secluded in a monastery in the Vatican.

But the longing for home * does not let go of him.

* Merkur.de is an offer from the Ippen Digital Network

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-09-22

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