Unveiling the Hidden Horrors: Bishop of Speyer Admits Underestimation of Church Abuse
Church Leader of Speyer Embarrassed by Prevalent Abuse Scandal
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The Bishop of Speyer, Karl-Heinz-Wiesemann, has publicly acknowledged a long-standing underestimation of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Speaking in the Palatinate cathedral city, Wiesemann expressed deep regret and asked for forgiveness.
After the publication of an extensive study on sexual abuse within his diocese, Wiesemann called for a relentless investigation of the crimes, stating, "The chapter on abuse must never be closed." He admitted his personal shame and the Church's structural involvement in the abuses.
The ongoing study, expected to be completed in two years, was first presented by Mannheim historian Sylvia Schraut last Thursday. Preliminary findings reveal that church structures significantly facilitated sexual abuse within the Diocese of Speyer. The diocese currently suspects the involvement of 109 clergymen and 41 laypeople, with half of the incidents occurring in the 1950s and 1960s.
Church homes for children and young people were notorious for the abuse. Bishop Wiesemann, in reading the 470-page study, was struck by the fact that victims were subjected to horrific injustice and suffered in silence, often without belief or support.
Victims' committee chairman Bernd Held calls for dismantling the structures that enabled abuse and encourages additional victims to come forward. The Diocese of Speyer encompasses around 1.57 million people, approximately 437,000 of whom are Catholic.
- Catholic Church
- Sexual Abuse
- Church Structures
- Accountability
- Reform
- Bishop Wiesemann called for a relentless investigation of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, as he admitted the Church's structural involvement in the abuses, acknowledging that church structures significantly facilitated such crimes within the Diocese of Speyer.
- After the publication of an extensive study on sexual abuse within his diocese, Bishop Wiesemann expressed deep regret and asked for forgiveness, stating that the chapter on abuse must never be closed.
- Preliminary findings from the ongoing study, expected to be completed in two years, reveal that the Diocese of Speyer currently suspects the involvement of 109 clergymen and 41 laypeople, with over half of the incidents occurring in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Victims' committee chairman Bernd Held encourages additional victims to come forward and calls for dismantling the structures that enabled abuse, suggesting necessary reforms to hold perpetrators accountable and prevent future instances of such horrific crimes.
