Pope Francis has opened an investigation into hundreds of cases of sexual abuse in Germany

Pope Francis ordered an investigation that from June, he will investigate the “complex pastoral situation” of the German Archdiocese of Colonia, concerning the abuses committed against minors, reported this Friday the nunciature in Germany.

The investigation will be carried out by an apostolic commission specially appointed for the mission. His members will analyze the “possible errors” of Cardinal Archbishop of Colonia Rainer Maria Woelki, who last March admitted that there was a “systemic cover-up” in the archdiocese cases of abuse of minors, after having read a report which analyzes dozens of 1975 Yes 2018.

The commission will be composed of Cardinal Archbishop of Stockholm Anders Arborelius and the Bishop of Rotterdam and president of the Dutch Episcopal Conference, Johannes von den Hende, informed the Vatican representation. The objective of the research is to obtain “a full picture“On the situation of the Archdiocese of Cologne, the largest in Germany and which includes this city and those of Bonn and Düsseldorf, among others.

In the statement of the nunciature, it is added that The commission will analyze the behavior of the cardinal archbishop of Hamburg (north), Stefan Hesseas well as Dominikus Schwaderlapp and Ansgar Puff, auxiliary bishops of Cologne. The nunciature specifies that of all their “behavior with cases of sexual abuse“.

Report found violations of Catholic hierarchy

The announcement comes weeks after Cardinal Woelki acknowledged that in the administration of the Archdiocese there was “chaos” and a “system of silence, secrecy and lack of control”, after publishing a report commissioned from a Cologne law firm to examine the behavior of the hierarchs of the Catholic Church in that archdiocese.

Woelki admitted to the press that in the years analyzed by the document “There was generally a lack of compassion and empathy”. Then he regretted that “it should never have happened like this”.

Report found senior Catholic Church leaders aware of cases of child sexual abuse but they did not comply with their duty to properly denounce them and act. Anyway, exonerated Woelki of his responsibility, Archbishop of Cologne since 2014, in an analysis that confirmed the existence of 314 cases of child abuse and identified 202 that are believed to be responsible.

The authors of the analysis of what happened in the archdiocese, however, found that the Archbishop of Hamburg, Hesse, and the late Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne from 1989 to 2014, failed in their duty in relation to these abuses in 11 and 24 cases, respectively.

Lawyer Björn Gercke, one of those responsible for the report, explained that during its preparation, it was found that many documents were destroyed in accordance with the norms of canon law. Cardinal Woelki brought up the case of the Düsseldorf priest Johannes O., to whom the abuses allegedly covered up by the Archbishop are attributed and said the report concludes that he himself acted “with diligence and lawfulness”.

However, “he could and should have reported the case to Rome,” he admitted.. “But I didn’t and it would have been better otherwise,” added the cardinal, who refused to resign because of his behavior because it would be “too easy”. “Such a resignation would only be a symbol that would not last long.“, Held.

(With information from EFE)

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