Towers of the Liebfrauenkirche in Munich © Foottoo (shutterstock)
In 2010, the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising became the first German diocese to have a law firm search its files for cases of abuse beginning in 1945. Ten years later, the question of who is responsible should now also be asked.
The results in December 2010 were sobering for the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Never before has anyone been so clearly commissioned by the church to list its own register of sins from the past decades.
More than 13.The Munich-based law firm "Westpfahl Spilker Wastl" had pored over 200 files from 1945 to the present and had come to the conclusion that the church had hardly ever been concerned about the victims of sexual abuse. Instead, attorney Marion Westpfahl attested to the clergy's "ruthless protection of their own status".
Law firm commissioned again
Ten years later, the archdiocese has once again commissioned the law firm with the task of making. It is to prepare an extended expert opinion on cases of sexual abuse and physical violence. This time it is not only about the years already investigated, but also about the period until 2019, as Vicar General Christoph Klingan explained on Thursday. The revised guidelines of the German Bishops' Conference served as the basis for the latter. The focus now extends beyond the clergy and pastoral staff to all full-time church employees.
By means of the files one hopes above all however conclusions about it, how it could come at all so far that cases were not pursued or hushed up. It is about the crucial question, who has to take the responsibility for the wrong handling of the topic abuse.
Munich residents show desire for enlightenment
This could affect all those in positions of responsibility during this period – "without distinction," Klingan said. The Munich authorities show a willingness to clarify the matter, as Westpfahl attested to them even then. Nevertheless, it is likely to be a delicate matter. After all, the archdiocese has had prominent churchmen at its head over the years – first and foremost Cardinals Michael Faulhaber, Joseph Wendel, Julius Dopfner, Friedrich Wetter and Reinhard Marx, as well as Pope Benedict XVI, who is now emeritus., at that time still as Joseph Ratzinger.
Specifically, it is to be examined whether and in which cases there was a duty to report to the prosecution authorities, whether a report was filed and whether steps were taken under church law. Unlike the previous report, the new one is to be published – if only for reasons of the widely demanded transparency.
The last one is still safely stored behind the walls of the archbishop's office – "data protection reasons", they say.
Archdiocese of Cologne wants to name names
Because other dioceses, such as the Archdiocese of Cologne – even with the same law firm – are also taking the path of external investigation, Munich does not want to follow suit. On the Rhine, the 12. March results promised. When it will be so far at the Isar, cannot answer the Generalvikar. The law firm would first have to sift through the file material to give a concrete, resilient assessment. That had also been the reason why the archdiocese had again turned to Westpfahl and Co. because they had experience and knowledge of the previous investigations. The hope is that the time frame will not be too long.
The Munich archdiocese also hopes that the investigation will help it to come to terms with the abuse and prevention it has already carried out. Acknowledgement payments for suffered suffering had been made. A psychologist and a lawyer continue to serve as independent abuse commissioners to whom victims can turn.
Just last week, however, the case of a priest from the Essen diocese who came to the Munich archdiocese in 1980 and was convicted of abuse in 1986 hit the headlines. The ZDF magazine "Frontal21" and the research center Correctiv had reported on this and had suggested a possible connection to Benedict XVI., cited. However, one day after the broadcast of the report, the latter denied that he had met the man in question during a private visit to Bavaria in 2000.