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In Emsland, a later Catholic deacon is said to have sexually abused a teenager for more than three years. The diocese of Osnabruck confirmed a corresponding report of the "Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung", in which the affected person has her say.
At the time of the first acts, which are said to have occurred in the 1980s, she was 14 years old, the now 49-year-old victim told the "Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung" (online). Among other things, the man, who was then engaged as a choirmaster, had repeatedly waylaid her, touched her indecently and masturbated in her presence.
The accused admitted to the crime
As the diocese said in a statement, the accused was not ordained a deacon until several years after those events. The person concerned had turned in January 2020 to an independent contact person of the diocese.
In a confrontation, the defendant admitted the accusations. Bishop Franz-Josef Bode had taken him thereupon immediately by decree from the service. This order is valid until further notice. The diocese had also called in the responsible public prosecutor's office. However, the preliminary proceedings were discontinued because the acts were not punishable at the time.
According to the diocese, the woman received from the defendant as part of a settlement a payment of 2.Getting 500 euros. Further it had received also from the diocese 2.500 euros in the sense of a "material recognition of suffering suffered" as well as financial support for therapy measures and legal fees.
Diocese waived publication
The victim told the newspaper she still suffers from the incidents and accused the diocese of covering up the acts. Neither the members nor the committees of the congregation in which the accused was active had been informed about the reason for his immediate departure. In this regard, the diocese said that it had refrained from publishing the allegations in the parish after the state investigation was closed "after careful consideration".
Bishop Bode had already offered the person concerned a personal interview shortly after the proceedings had been taken up. However, he said, it did not take place initially at the request of the affected due to the Corona situation. However, the offer to talk naturally remains in place, according to the diocese.
According to the report, the woman wants to know about at least one other victim of the accused. According to a spokesperson, no other affected persons have yet reported to the diocese.