In order to investigate the alleged failures of his diocese - the largest in Germany - in the face of pedophilia scandals, the Cardinal of Cologne, Rainer Woelki, ordered a report at the end of 2018 from a Munich law firm.
Fifteen months later, the prelate gave up its publication, triggering a serious crisis within the German Church.
Faced with the outcry over his decision - perceived by his peers as an attempt at omerta - Bishop Woelki appointed a second team of lawyers, this time based in Cologne.
The firm Gercke and Wollschläger presented its report on Thursday March 18, in the presence of its sponsor.
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Pedophilia: the Cardinal of Cologne accused of omerta
His conclusion: Cardinal Woelki is not responsible for the breaches of canon law observed in the management of 236 suspected cases of pedophilia registered in the diocese from 1975 to 2018. On the other hand, his predecessors are: Stefan Hesse, now bishop from Hamburg, Joachim Meisner, who died in 2017, and several other prelates.
Both men would have missed
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