It has been almost 14 years since the first revelations of cases of abuse shocked the Catholic Church in Germany. The processing is still in full swing.
The abuse scandal will keep the German Catholic Church busy for years to come. All 27 dioceses are currently undergoing an independent review by commissions set up: their intensive consideration is expected to be completed at the end of the 2020s, said Trier Bishop Stephan Ackermann of the German Press Agency. The focus of the review is primarily on how those responsible dealt with cases of abuse that became known. The diocese of Trier expects a final report by 2027 at the latest, said Ackermann.
“Failures will continue to be documented.” His term of office will also be examined by the committee. And mistakes also happened in his responsibility, which he also admitted and for which he apologized. And there are probably omissions from today’s perspective that were not seen when we acted back then. “So there may be mistakes that I don’t realize are mistakes.” Ackermann has been bishop in Trier since 2009.
The reports of the processing commission are important: “The processing helps the church because it leads to more truthfulness. And above all because it also gives those affected a certain satisfaction,” said Ackermann. They finally felt heard: “Many people think: We weren’t believed, we are now believed.”
Ackermann became known nationwide at the beginning of 2010 when he was appointed representative of the German Bishops’ Conference for questions of sexual abuse following the revelation of the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. He resigned from office in autumn 2022.
Source: Stern
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