Archive photo: Cologne Cathedral in the fog © Mathias Peter (DR)
In the Archdiocese of Cologne, there are apparently significantly more perpetrators and victims of abuse than previously amed. This is what "Der Spiegel" reported in its Saturday edition.
According to a report in "Der Spiegel" (Saturday), the expert Bjorn Gercke, newly commissioned by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, comes to about 300 affected and 200 accused since 1975. The German bishops' abuse study presented in the fall of 2018 listed 135 victims and 87 accused clergy for the Archdiocese of Cologne from files dating from 1946 to 2015.
Investigations go back to 1975
The Gercke report is to be published on 18. March to be presented. A study previously commissioned from the Munich law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) on the handling of cases of sexualized violence by diocesan officials Woelki does not allow to be published because, according to some lawyers, it has "methodological flaws" and is not legally sound.
The period under study goes back to 1975 and covers the terms of office of Cardinals Joseph Hoffner (archbishop from 1969 to 1887), Joachim Meisner (1989 to 2014) and Woelki (since 2014). According to the "Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger" (Saturday), the Munich expert report names around 230 accused and more than 270 victims.
According to "Spiegel," Gercke's report evaluates more than 300 suspicious activity reports and 236 files. Included, he said, is the case of a priest accused of sexual abuse at a boarding school in the archdiocese in the 1980s who was later assigned as a pastor and youth chaplain. In 2002, clergyman allegedly sexually assaulted teenage girl. Only in 2017, he said, he was retired by Woelki.
Expert Gercke confirms figures
According to the magazine, the archdiocese did not want to comment on the case or prejudge the investigation. Priest also left inquiry unanswered. Meanwhile, Gercke confirmed to the "Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger" the information provided by the "Spiegel" magazine. "It is likely to be the final figures," he said.