The Ruhr diocese is one of the youngest in Germany and is considered to be particularly popular and progressive. But here, too, hundreds of people have been abused over the years, as a study shows.
“I’m an electrician by trade, but I don’t have a degree. I’ll tell you why I didn’t make it.” At a press conference in the diocese of Essen, Stephan Bertram, who was affected by abuse, begins to talk about his life. Bertram worked from the victim’s perspective on a large study on abuse in the Ruhr diocese, which has now been presented. In his job, the 59-year-old has been on sick leave for years. “My life is screwed up for me,” says Bertram.
The Munich Institute IPP spent almost three years going through all the personnel files of the Ruhr diocese since it was founded in 1958 and conducted numerous interviews with those affected and church leaders. Conclusion: There were not only hundreds of cases of abuse in the diocese, but also many people looked the other way, the perpetrators were transferred instead of being punished – and often the victims were even marginalized in the communities when they reported crimes. Behind all this there is also an obviously huge number of unreported cases, as IPP study leader Helga Dill said when presenting the results.
Some of the perpetrators have been active for decades
423 cases of sexual abuse, mainly by priests and religious, have been reported so far, the diocese said when the study was presented. The number is significantly higher than previously known. The diocese speaks of 201 suspects who were known until February 2023 – mostly priests from the Ruhr diocese and other dioceses as well as deacons and religious of different genders.
Perpetrator careers sometimes stretched over several decades, said Dill. 53 reports were filed, 33 convictions under church or criminal law were registered. 163 people affected have already submitted applications for recognition of their suffering, and almost 2.6 million euros have been paid out.
“Massive failures to the point of active cover-up”
“As a diocese, we have to be honest: in the past there have been massive failures in our diocese administration, including active cover-ups,” said Ruhr Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck. The diocese often did not believe the victims. This was also based on the idea “that the church and its priests should be protected first and foremost”. Even in younger years, the diocese was “all too often massively overwhelmed by these situations,” said Overbeck, who has been bishop in Essen since 2009.
The study singled out six particularly spectacular cases – such as that of the former Bottrop chaplain H., who is also said to have tormented Bertram. The chaplain was transferred to Essen after information about his actions. His successor in Bottrop, Kaplan P., was also a proven abuser.
There are even reports from witnesses that the old and the new chaplain exchanged views on the change – possibly about suitable victims of abuse, Dill reported at the press conference. H. was later transferred to Bavaria and only taken out of service in 2010 after numerous other acts of abuse.
Change through new structures planned
The fact that the perpetrators were able to go on for so many years and celebrate themselves as “good pastors” while the congregations were left alone and not sufficiently informed often “poisoned” congregational life, said Essen Vicar General and Personnel Manager Klaus Pfeffer. On the other hand, the diocese will now decide to change its structures.
Cleric hiring decisions would be freed from the “closed shop” so that clergy weren’t the only ones making decisions about clergy. Since February 1, the diocese has combined human resources work for clerics and administrative employees and introduced strict reporting requirements – no more undocumented decisions “through short official channels”.
This year there should also be reliable rules on how the diocese can cover therapy costs and also provide “unbureaucratic help”. “I think we’re often still at the beginning,” said the Ruhr bishop. The Archdiocese of Freiburg, for example, decided on a pension for needy abuse victims, said the bishop.
The study proposes further steps in favor of those affected: In the future, church communities should be supported in dealing with the past, and initiatives for those affected should receive a fixed budget for their work, according to the authors. The church should set up a network with external advice centers and strictly separate the advice given to perpetrators and those affected.
The Essen study has already taken a big step towards the victims: It is the first study in a German diocese with the direct participation of those affected, said Johannes Norpoth, who comes from the Ruhr area and is spokesman for the Advisory Board for those affected at the German Bishops’ Conference.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
