ABUSE INQUIRIES:GERMANY'S CATHOLIC Church should follow the example of the church in Ireland and establish an independent inquiry into clerical child abuse, according to its federal justice minister.
The call from Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger is likely to raise the hackles of German bishops, a week after she accused the church of hiding abuse allegations in its ranks behind a “wall of silence”. “The examples of Ireland and the US show that independent inquiries can be an important contribution to clearing up this issue,” said Ms Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, a senior member of the ruling Free Democrats (FDP).
Her views are not shared by coalition partners the Christian Democrats (CDU), and even the opposition Social Democrats (SPD), no close allies of German Catholics, defended the church from the minister’s remarks. “I would advise Ms Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger not to act as if we should only be looking for guilty parties in the Catholic Church,” said SPD general secretary Andrea Nahles.
Germany’s abuse scandal has widened to include many institutions, including progressive schools and East German orphanages. But attention has returned to the church after revelations that, in 1980, as archbishop of Munich, Pope Benedict accepted a priest convicted of child abuse into his diocese for treatment.
The priest was returned to pastoral work immediately and, four years after Archbishop Ratzinger moved to the Vatican, the priest reoffended and was given a fine and a suspended sentence.
The case caused uproar at Sunday Mass in the Bavarian town of Bad Tölz, where the priest is currently posted. Fr Rupert Frania, one of the priest’s colleagues, said during his homily on Sunday he felt the discussion of clerical abuse was “a little one-sided”.
He was interrupted when a parishioner stood up and shouted: “I can’t listen to this! Don’t try and distract from the issue.” The man said he and his fianceé had planned to be married by the priest in question, but were disgusted to learn of his past in the media. The altercation divided the Mass attendees, reports say, and several walked out of the church.
After abusing children in Essen and Garching, the priest was moved to Bad Tölz, where locals say they had no idea of his past.
Yesterday evening, the diocese of Munich and Freising said the priest had been suspended.