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Luisa Beck
A reporter covering Europe from Washington Post's Washington Post
Chico Harlan
Head of the Rome office covering the south of Europe and sometimes parts beyond
BERLIN – A report to be released Tuesday documents the sexual abuse of more than 3,600 people by 1,670 clergy in the German Catholic Church over a period of 68 years – and even these figures probably underestimate the extent of the problem.
Abuse of this magnitude is one of the biggest scandals of the Catholic Church in Europe. But at the same time, this is not entirely surprising for many church observers. Evidence of widespread abuse and concealment was found in all jurisdictions that initiated an investigation. Australia, Chile and several US states are on the growing list.
The German report, commissioned by the German Bishops' Conference and conducted by researchers from three German universities, provides insights not only into abuse but also into the trauma and isolation that victims face long after.
It also contradicts an account held by some members of the Church that the cases of abuse now emerging are all old and that the problem has since been resolved. German researchers said the abuse took place throughout the period under review, from 1946 to 2014.
"We are living a very dark time in the history of our church, which hopefully will mean cleansing and renewal," Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen wrote in a letter to his diocese. . "The dangers are far from being exorcised. We must fear that there is and may still be sexual abuse among us.
A preliminary copy of the 356-page report was shared with the Washington Post of the German weekly Die Zeit. The report does not detail the experience of each victim, nor does it provide the names of the alleged perpetrators or those who helped to protect them.
Critics say the study lacks the rigor of state reports, like the one released last month by the Pennsylvania Attorney General. German researchers did not have direct access to church records and relied instead on questionnaires and other correspondence with dioceses, as well as interviews, criminal records and an investigation into anonymous line with victims ready to participate.
The Catholic Church has been slow to tackle the global crisis of sexual abuse on a global scale. Pope Francis called the world's leading bishops to the Vatican for an unprecedented meeting on abuses in February. But the church has so far taken little meaningful action to improve transparency or hold superiors accountable to protect abusers.
Some victims say that information such as that of Germany has lost its ability to shock, but continues to exacerbate their anger at the general neglect of the church.
"The impact on the public in Germany is currently very important," said Matthias Katsch, president of a group of German victims. "What has influence, is the ongoing global crisis. People realize that this is not a local problem – it is a global problem of the Catholic Church.
As in much of Europe, Catholicism in Germany has been declining. Francis spoke of an "erosion" of faith in the country. Germany has nearly 24 million registered Catholics, but only 1 in 10 regularly attends Mass.
The German bishops are known for their progressive tendencies, some defending positions – such as giving communion to divorced Catholics or adopting a more conciliatory approach to homosexuals – which they believe can help faith in the modern era.
Since the details of the report were leaked this month, Germany has entered into another type of debate: one focused on steps the church can take to reduce the prevalence of abuse.
Deutsche Welle, the German public international broadcaster, said the church "will have to face the debate on topics such as changes in sexual morality or the abolition of celibacy".
Speaking on Monday, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, President of the German Bishops' Conference, said that the church had reached a "turning point" in the way it had to deal with the prevention of abuse and the victims. specificities.
In interviews with 214 victims, the researchers found that only 30% had talked about these abuses to a third party and that the majority of those who had done so were repudiated or even punished.
In addition, out of 69 respondents to an online survey, 94% reported experiencing long-term health and social problems, including post-traumatic stress symptoms such as depression and flashbacks, and substance abuse problems. intimate relationships. Of those surveyed, one in five said they had attempted suicide.
The report found that only a handful of cases resulted in significant penalties for abusive priests. He also revealed evidence that church documents were "destroyed or manipulated".
The criminologist Christian Pfeiffer, originally charged with conducting the study, interrupted his research in 2013 because the church wanted to change the contract "to censorship outright," he told the German news website Spiegel Online.
A similar study conducted in 2004 in the United States, based on files voluntarily provided by dioceses, revealed that 10,667 people in the country had lodged a complaint against priests from 1950 to 2002. This year, victims in six of its eight dioceses over a period of 70 years.
"It's dramatic, the difference between what an in-depth investigation by the state will find and what the church will do when it relates to itself," said Anne Barrett. Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org. . "What church reports is a fraction of the real number – a small fraction."
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