Shadow of a cross © Harald Oppitz (KNA)
Klaus Pfeffer, Vicar General of Essen, calls for a more comprehensive examination of sexual abuse in the church and for its prevention in the future. In prevention, for example, a "culture of mindfulness" is needed, says Pfeffer.
"Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has causes that go far beyond individual perpetrators or co-perpetrators," writes the head of administration of the Ruhr diocese in a contribution to the anthology "Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents in the Space of Church," as the Essen diocese announced Wednesday. He pleads for also exposing and overcoming the abuse of power in the church.
Important prevention work
Pfeffer opposes understanding some measures in the fight against abuse as an exaggerated expression of a general suspicion. A "healthy general suspicion" is appropriate. A "culture of attentiveness" is needed, writes the vicar general, emphasizing: "All those who work in the church share responsibility for eliminating the breeding ground for sexual violence."Sexual abuse is to be expected everywhere and at all times.
Pfeffer calls for open debate on even the big fundamental church ies. Among other things, the "rigid, constricting sexual morality" with negative value judgments must be overcome and the office of consecration must be reinterpreted. He goes on to call for "opening up to women the same participation as men in the responsible co-creation of the Catholic Church". Persistent adherence to a structure with male-dominated power imbalances will further accelerate the Catholic Church's loss of trust, he said.
More attention and hearing for those affected
Pfeffer advocates for more attention and listening to those affected by sexual violence, but also calls for an intensive confrontation with perpetrators and the accused. He points to the process of coming to terms with the situation in the Essen diocese, where an investigation by the Munich-based Institut fur Praxisforschung und Projektberatung (IPP) has been underway since March.
The first acts of abuse in the German Catholic Church were made public in 2010. In fall 2018, the German bishops presented a study on sexual abuse. According to the report, the Essen diocese has 85 victims of sexual assault between 1946 and 2014 and 60 accused clerics since its founding in 1958.