Cologne: Court: Archdiocese should pay victims of abuse 300,000 euros

In a groundbreaking court decision, the Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne has been sentenced to 300,000 euros in damages for a victim of abuse. The district court of Cologne pronounced the verdict on Tuesday after a hearing in which no comparison had been reached between the two parties. Georg Menne, now 62, was sexually abused by a priest for many years as an altar boy in the 1970s.

The verdict should have an important signaling function. The canon lawyer Thomas Schüller spoke of a “watershed in German judicial history”. For the first time, the Catholic Church will be sentenced by a state court to an extraordinary amount, said the expert from the German Press Agency. “Other courts will at least be guided by this in the future.”

The affected organization “Eckiger Tisch” commented that for the first time there was a judgment by a German court that awarded a victim of child sexual abuse by a priest of the Catholic Church compensation in the form of compensation for pain and suffering. The institutional responsibility of the church for these crimes is also taken into account.

“This is an important signal for thousands of similar cases in Germany,” said the “Eckige Tisch”. “The Church is liable for the crimes of its priests, bishops and religious superiors.” It is considered likely that many other victims of abuse will now also take legal action, so that the church could face high costs.

“Milestone for those affected”

Menne, who had been raped and otherwise sexually abused more than 300 times by the late priest, had demanded 750,000 euros in damages. After the verdict was announced, however, he praised the court decision as a “milestone for those affected”. Your suffering is acknowledged. His lawyers said they still have to evaluate whether to appeal. In any case, legal history will be written with the judgment, the previous case law will be “pulverized”.

The Archdiocese of Cologne announced that it would assume institutional responsibility for the injustice and suffering suffered. That is why Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki decided in this specific case not to claim that the crimes committed in the 1970s were time-barred. Nor was Georg Menne’s portrayal disputed. This allowed the process to proceed. Woelki explained: “I am happy and grateful that the court’s decision has contributed to the clarity of this case.”

The presiding judge Stephan Singbartl said in his verdict that the plaintiff had suffered terrible injustice. However, the court did not advance to the highest level of compensation for pain and suffering because, fortunately, his life was not destroyed despite the crimes. He got married, had children and was able to pursue a career. This should in no way belittle his suffering, but it is the court’s job to put this in relation to other injured parties.

Long in therapy

Menne said after the trial that he had undergone many years of intensive therapy. You’re never done with the terrible childhood experiences: “The flashbacks keep coming.”

So far, the Catholic Church has made voluntary payments for those affected by abuse, so-called recognition benefits. The responsible Independent Commission for Recognition Services (UKA) in Bonn has so far awarded a sum of more than 50,000 euros in 143 cases. In 24 cases it was more than 100,000 euros. Those affected have repeatedly criticized the payments as too low.

Schüller told the dpa that the previous “feeding of the poor” by the German bishops with compensation payments of up to 50,000 euros had “failed with a bang”. Many victims found this regulation “like a mockery in view of their lifelong mental and physical injuries”.

In recent months, the Catholic Church has come under further pressure on the abuse issue. New reports for the dioceses of Freiburg and Mainz revealed that the responsible bishops there had consistently protected the perpetrators and ignored the victims for decades.