“A matter for the bishops”

That is why it is not necessary for the Pope to intervene, Gluck said. The head of the church had always spoken clearly and unambiguously on the subject of child abuse by clerics. Gluck also sees no need for additional clarification in the case in the archdiocese of Munich-Freising that became known on Friday. During Joseph Ratzinger's term as archbishop (1977 to 1982), a priest with a history of child abuse was reinstated in the pastoral care of the parish. The vicar general at the time, Gerhard Gruber, had decided this without consulting Ratzinger, which he regrets today as a "grave mistake". Loss of trust ie for Z Gluck announced that the ZdK would address the ie at its plenary meeting on 17 December. The German Chancellor will deal with the dramatic loss of trust in the church at a meeting in Munich on April. It will take many efforts to win back trust. The order of the day, however, is to relentlessly clear up all cases. Victims would have to be the focus. Here the ZdK president sees a paradigm shift. In the past, he said, there have been many attempts to conceal abuse cases. The guidelines of the Bishops' Conference also need to be clarified. In the view of the ZdK president, a comprehensive package should be put together for victims. They need help and accompaniment in different ways. The question of financial compensation would also have to be clarified. Question of compulsory celibacy At the same time, Gluck rejected the assertion that the main cause of sexual abuse by priests is celibacy. "I expressly disagree with this opinion."In other areas of society, where celibacy does not play a role, the problems are not less. But the ie will remain, he said, because answers to the priest shortage must be considered. He is therefore pleased to note that more and more bishops from abroad, but also from Germany, are asking whether compulsory celibacy should remain or not.