"The devilish side of the church": Basis in the district of Freising shaken by new revelations of abuse

Created: 2022-01-21Updated: 2022-01-21, 8:24 p.m

By: Magdalena Höcherl, Manuel Eser

The report, which unrolls cases of abuse from the Catholic Church, comprises almost 2,000 pages.

© Sven Hoppe/dpa POOL/dpa

The new revelations about abuse cases in the Catholic Church shake.

The FT asked around at the base and was met with horror.

Freising

- The report on pedophile priests, full-time employees and accomplices who have looked the other way, including Pope Emeritus Benedict, shakes the Freising district.

Auxiliary Bishop Bernhard Haßlberger was "horrified" and "speechless" that such massive misconduct had also occurred in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

The FT has now asked the base about their mood.

Stephan Rauscher, parish administrator in Freising:

"Although the abuse scandal has been known for twelve years, it is always frightening to hear details. This still baffles and shocks me. I myself was ordained a priest in 2008 and became a pastor in 2013, this topic has always been present in my work. The bad thing is that we local pastors have to take the blame for the massive misconduct of these people. This guilt always weighs on everyone, and 100 pastors cannot repair what one person destroys. This is really frustrating. Quite apart from the fact that I cannot understand how a minister who should live the faith is capable of such deeds. That affects me a lot. What is important now is transparency and honesty. As for Cardinal Marx, I don't know if resigning would be the way to go,or whether it wouldn't make more sense as a bishop to take responsibility for the mistakes, to work through them and, above all, to focus on the victims. Because resigning sometimes also means abstaining from responsibility.”

Dieter Thalhammer, former mayor of Freising:

“It was clear to me in advance that this report would not be a walk in the park. But I was surprised that Pope Benedict so categorically denied that he was present at the ordinariate meeting during his time as cardinal in Munich-Freising when the pedophile priest was installed here. Maybe it's because of his age that he can't remember, but that's no excuse. A clear distinction must be made between perpetrators and those who knew about it. It would have been the task of the confidants to supervise the perpetrators better. The church has failed in its duty of care. You can't preach morality and do something completely different. I am disappointed in Pope Benedict. Nevertheless, I don't regret bringing him to Freising in 2006.I wouldn't judge this experience any less from today's perspective. The question of whether he can still get a statue on the Korbiniansbrücke, as was planned, cannot, I think, be answered conclusively at this point. Time will show."

Dieter Thalhammer, former mayor of Freising © FT-Archiv

Walter Brugger, former Wieskurat in Freising:

“That Joseph Ratzinger is accused of untruth is absurd. Only someone who doesn't know him can say that. And I'm not saying that as someone who has been friends with him for over 60 years, but objectively. For me, the Pope Emeritus is a guarantor of truth. Of course, I am not opposed to exposing these acts, it is important to provide clarity. The abysses that open up are bad enough. There is no need to discuss that. However, I believe that for over a decade since the abuse scandal broke, harming the Catholic Church has been the main push. In doing so, however, proportionality would have to be maintained: How many priests who have behaved incorrectly compared to how many who have behaved correctly? That's never saidfor me, the truth would begin at this point. I think it is unfair to focus on the whole Church from a minority of cases.”

Walter Brugger, former Wieskurat in Freising © FT-Archiv

Maria Westermeier, Zollinger women from Zolling:

“These 1900 pages reveal a failure on many levels, not only in relation to the church, but also in part to the rule of law. What depresses me most is how badly this scandal is damaging the Church and faith. I am a true believer and I feel sorry for anyone who is repelled by the immense disappointment they are experiencing at the church. The misconduct of these men is now up to the parishes and the faith. Out of self-interest and self-protection, they have not served the cause of Jesus in any way and have totally abused their offices. Even the priests, who were very guilty and needed therapy, were not helped, they were only covered. Cardinal Marx must not shirk his responsibility now,as he would have tried before with his resignation. He has to take responsibility for it. The same goes for Pope Benedict: you can't ask the little people to be good and go to confession regularly, while continually sinning themselves. Those who are guilty must confess their guilt – and do better.”

Maria Westermeier, Zollinger women from Zolling © FT-Archiv

Korbinian Schwind, sacristan in St. Georg in Freising:

"I am particularly shocked that the auxiliary bishop of Soden-Fraunhofen, who was also auxiliary bishop in Freising, was so involved in the abuse incidents. I can't understand how people closed their eyes just to protect Mother Church. The enormous loss of trust that results from this primarily affects the base, which always gets it. I've noticed that since the abuse scandal broke in 2010. As a sacristan, I am also asked how I can still work at the church, and there is always vandalism. For twelve years people have had to suffer who can't help it, they've been insulted, and priests have generally been dubbed 'kid fuckers'. This is very stressful – and above all, this generalization is not correct.So much great work is being done in the parishes, the employees are committed, people are committed to the church. This is a slap in the face for all of them. You really need a thick skin. Luckily I still have that."

Korbinian Schwind, sacristan in St. Georg in Freising © FT-Archiv

Tanja Knieler, CSU local chairwoman from Hallbergmoos

that structural conclusions can be drawn from it.

The path of renewal and reform of the Church announced by Cardinal Marx must not remain lip service.

The church must finally set an example and not just preach Christian values.”

Tanja Knieler, CSU local chairwoman from Hallbergmoos © FT archive

Anita Meinelt, Deputy District Administrator from Moosburg:

"I was stunned by what was revealed in Thursday's report. I wonder how some minds could have known about so many abuse cases for so long and yet remained inactive. I understand that everyone wants to prevent damage to their company. But this is about victims, children and young people. You just can't look the other way, you have to be unconditionally informed. Apologizing now and saying you regret it is not enough because it has gone on like this for far too long. However, I am also glad that these facts are now public and are no longer hidden under the cloak of silence. But for the victims, it's still shattering. Not only did they have to go through bad experiences, they also had no one to help them.That's maybe even the worst. Because if nobody believes or supports you, then the victim never gets to process the deeds. It destroys self-esteem and it destroys the psyche.”

Alexander Daniel, Pastoral Advisor from Fahrenzhausen:

“The report stirs up and affects. This also confronted me again with the question I hear again and again: Why do you still work for the Catholic Church at all? I know many professionals and volunteers who do their best every day to serve others and make a 'difference' in the world. They focus on Christ and their fellow human beings and show very clearly that the church does not only consist of power struggles in the Vatican, abuse and hypocritical sexual morality. Christians reaching out to the poor, captives, lonely and sick; stand by them, help them and give them new hope. I still understand any person who turns their back on the Church. The official church has provided sufficient reasons for leaving. I too suffer from the weaknesses and crimes of the Church,the failure of officers and members. Nevertheless, with my stay and my work, I want to set an example that the church can be modern and renewed.”

Josef Geißdörfer, chairman of the parish council in Neustift:

“The report is shocking. It shows that there is no perception of responsibility in this diocese or in the ordinariate - and this runs through all levels of this closed cosmos. It is also frustrating how little connection the Ordinariate has with the parishes. I don't think those responsible really know what's going on with us, what the consequences will be. We are doing a good job and will continue to do our best so that people can stay with the faith and the church. But it remains to be seen how willing they are to continue to get involved. In any case, Cardinal Marx must now take responsibility for this and bring his apparatus into shape so that such incidents do not happen again. Regarding the subject of abuse in general: For me,especially as a former detective, there would be no question of taking consequences. If there were any suspicions at parish level, I would report it immediately – to the public prosecutor.”

Markus John, pastoral officer in Moosburg © FT-Archiv

Markus John, Pastoral Officer in Moosburg:

“With the report, reliable facts are on the table. It is good that after decades of looking the other way, the focus is on the victims. A rethinking of the diocesan instructions has also started here, after all it was Vicar General Peter Beer who commissioned the report. As Cardinal Marx put it, this report is 'an important and indispensable building block for dealing with cases of sexual abuse'. His apology on Thursday was certainly meant seriously. However, it would be a pity if the report did not result in further steps. This will take time, even if you wish for speed, because the approximately 1900 pages have to be read and considered first.In any case, the archdiocese has offers of help for those affected - such as external contact persons or the archdiocese's new contact and advice center for victims of sexual abuse. It was conceived in cooperation with the Advisory Board for Affected Persons and the Processing Commission in the Archdiocese and can be reached on Tel. (0 89) 2 13 77 70 00. So the archdiocese is acting, and that is a good thing.”