A problem for society as a whole

Federal Education Minister Annette Schavan has rejected a round table on sexual abuse in church institutions alone. A round table could be the right thing to do, she said on Sunday. In it, however, as a participant "certainly" not only the Catholic Church will sit. Violence and abuse are not only a topic in church institutions.

Also in the program "Berlin direkt," Federal Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP) reiterated in a pre-recorded statement her demand that the round table deal exclusively with abuse in the Catholic context. It is not about having a general conversation about abuse, she said. The focus must be on the victims and to talk to them.

"By no means a church ie" Schavan said that her justice colleague had probably spoken out before this weekend; to justify this, she referred to the recent disclosure of numerous massive cases of abuse at a non-church private school in Heppenheim, Hesse. The CDU politician explained that such crimes and assaults are by no means a church ie. Rather, educational institutions far beyond the Catholic Church are affected. At the same time, she pleaded for an extension of statutes of limitations. The German Bishops' Conference's commissioner for cases of abuse, Bishop Stefan Ackermann, also opposed Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger's approach. If there is a round table, then all stakeholders must be invited, he said. At the same time, he affirmed that the Catholic Church does not claim for itself a space beyond state law. Therefore a specification of the episcopal guidelines to the abuse of 2002 is to be considered. For her part, the justice minister stressed the need for the church to revise the guidelines. It must be clear that in cases of abuse the public prosecutor's office must be informed. This position received support from Family Minister Kristina Schroder (CDU) and SPD Secretary General Andrea Nahles, who spoke out in favor of a round table that would address the ie of abuse from a broader perspective. The problem is more widespread in society than previously known, Nahles told "Superillu" magazine.

Praise for will to clarify Schavan, who is herself Catholic, said she could not have imagined the extent of humiliation, violence and abuse of children that has now come to light. The Church in Germany, however, is very determined to provide complete information and to cooperate with the state. There will certainly be talks between church and government about how to restore trust in church schools. The perspective of the victims must be in the center of attention. According to the education minister, she does not see the relationship between church and state as being strained by the events. Vatican urges vigorous crackdown on abuse cases. The overriding goal must be to "bring justice to possible victims," the Vatican newspaper "Osservatore Romano" (Sunday) said. The Holy See is "grateful for the efforts to achieve clarity within the church". At the same time, it is to be hoped "that the same clarity will also be created in other public and private institutions, if the well-being of children is really close to everyone's heart.".

Zollitsch to Rome Curia Cardinal Walter Kasper reacted with "deep disappointment, pain and very great anger" to the news about abuse cases in Germany. The Church must clarify the situation, bring those responsible to justice and compensate the victims, the German cardinal demanded in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica. In the face of such serious crimes against innocent minors, there is "no justification whatsoever, no tolerance". In an interview with Radio Vatican, the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Robert Zollitsch, emphasized the unity of the Catholic Church in Germany with Pope Benedict XVI. in efforts to clarify. "I am convinced that what we have decided points in the right direction and that we are saying very clearly that this is a terrible crime," the Freiburg archbishop said. Zollitsch is to be honored next Friday by Benedict XVI. received in audience.

Philologists' Association: Do not place schools under general suspicion After numerous cases of abuse at German schools and boarding schools became known, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, chairman of the German Philologists' Association, warned against hasty decisions. "We must not all 42.000 schools in Germany under general suspicion," he said Monday on ZDF's "Morgenmagazin.". Although such a case could occur at any school, there are "certain environments where teachers with the appropriate disposition have the opportunity to be alone with students, such as boarding schools or all-day schools, where the potential for danger is greater," Meidinger said.Meidinger called the call for a round table to deal with the cases of abuse a "reflex of actionism". Nevertheless, they will of course go and make proposals. In addition to the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, representatives of the schools, the municipalities, the state, the churches and the independent organizations, representatives of the teachers, parents and, of course, the students also belonged at such a round table.In addition, "a climate of openness" is necessary at every school when dealing with the topic, Meidinger said. One suggestion is that "every school should have a person of trust who is the contact person for these matters and who is trained accordingly," said the head of the high school. This could not be the job of the guidance counselor, he said, as he had too many other tasks to perform.

President Schneider: "General social problem" The chairman of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany, President Nikolaus Schneider, praised the efforts of the Catholic Church to come to terms with the abuse scandals from past decades. It concerns "a general social problem". He sees the efforts of the Catholic Church "in great fraternal solidarity," he told the daily newspaper "Die Welt" (Saturday). The first cases of abuse, most of them dating back a long time, came to light at the end of January at the Jesuit Canisius College in Berlin. Meanwhile, cases from several institutions of religious orders and the majority of German dioceses from different decades became known. Two weeks ago Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger had caused indignation in the ranks of the bishops with public doubts about the will of the church to clear up the matter.

Wolfsburg priest admits misconduct Meanwhile, the Wolfsburg priest suspended by the Hildesheim diocese admitted wrongdoing, but denies sexual abuse. "That was a misconduct, which I have admitted and which I deeply regret," the clergyman told the "Wolfsburger Nachrichten" (Monday edition) according to advance reports. He was not aware of the consequences of the incident at the time. The priest stressed, however, that he had not approached the young person against his will. With the then minor had connected him a kind of partnership. Only in 1984 the contact had broken off. According to the newspaper, he did not want to give details. There had been no similar relationship either before 1979 or afterwards, he said.

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Christina Cherry
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