Bishops agree on unified procedure

Bishops agree on unified procedure

Bishop Georg Batzing © Julia Steinbrecht (KNA)

At its fall plenary session, the Bishops' Conference made the ie of abuse one of its top priorities. Bishops agreed in Fulda that payments to victims should begin next year.

At their fall plenary meeting in Fulda, the bishops took a major step forward with regard to payments for abuse victims and were able to reach agreement on many previously unresolved ies. More than ten years after the abuse scandal came to light and two years after the publication of a major study (MHG study), the system for payments should be in place by the end of the year. Accordingly, affected persons can submit applications from January and receive recognition benefits depending on the severity of the abuse of up to 50.000 euros.

So far, victims of sexual abuse receive a recognition payment of an average of 5.000 euros. A proposal presented by an independent working group last year, under which victims would receive six-figure sums of up to 400.000 euros was quickly off the table.

Orientation to civil law

There was a hail of criticism of this – and not only from within the diocese itself: This would completely blow up the previous system of compensation payments for other victims as well, it was said, for example. The Protestant church also expressed irritation at the amount of money involved.

In the spring, the bishops finally agreed on a different model. After that, the bishops plan to follow the civil pain-and-suffering scale and pay recognition fees of between 5.000 and 50.000 euros per case. An independent commission of lawyers, psychologists and medical experts is to examine the seriousness of each case.

Now the approach became more concrete: As the president of the bishops' conference, Bishop Georg Batzing, explained, a group, which is to include those affected, is to put together the panel that will then decide on payouts. There is then a plausibility check, says Batzing.

He said it was important to him that there should be a uniform performance framework in all 27 dioceses. The report also takes into account when dioceses have already reached an agreement with those affected. Batzing: "All victims of sexual abuse should have access to uniform, independently controlled and transparent solutions."

The responsible bodies of each diocese would have to decide where the funds for the payments would come from. Religious orders should also be involved, because there has been a "not insignificant number of cases of abuse" within the framework of religious congregations.

Furthermore, the bishop of Limburg announced that there should be a council of affected people. Twelve persons had already been selected by a majority non-clerical committee. Accordingly, the constitution is already planned for November.

Batzing: Spiritual abuse also in view

In addition, the bishops would have "significantly expanded" the concept of sexual abuse. The bishops also take spiritual abuse into consideration. An event on the subject has already been scheduled for 12. and 13. November planned in cooperation with the Catholic Academy of the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen in Leipzig. Title "Dangerous soul leaders.

Batzing also commented on the subject of structural reappraisal. He recalled that an agreement to this effect had been reached in the spring with the Federal Government Commissioner for Abuse, Johannes-Wilhelm Rorig. In some dioceses, this has already begun. At the final press conference, Batzing also answered the question of why no bishop had resigned in view of the abuse. "There is no general answer to this, the individual bishop must assess this for himself," says Batzing. But part of the act of resignation is that there are demonstrable errors that are incompatible with the official mandate.

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Christina Cherry
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