Investigation Uncovers Criticisms Against Church Leadership Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations
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The investigation carried out by Deloitte, commissioned by the Church Leadership of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia (EKvW), has brought to light several shortcomings in handling allegations of sexual misconduct. This scrutiny has extended to the role of former EKD Council Chair, Annette Kurschus.
In November 2023, allegations of sexual misconduct against a church employee in the Siegen-Wittgenstein church district came to light. Following these revelations, Kurschus resigned from her position as Council Chair of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and as President of the Westphalian Church.
Controversy Surrounding Kurschus and the Church Leadership
According to Deloitte's final report, Kurschus was informed by a parish pastor in October 2022 about potential allegations of sexual misconduct. She passed on the information within the church, yet this action triggered an internal dispute within the EKvW regional church office, resulting in mutual loss of trust at the leadership level.
A passive communication strategy was adopted by the EKvW and Kurschus, which Deloitte deemed as a lack of transparency, leading to high media pressure and a lack of support within church committees. As a result, Kurschus eventually resigned. The report advises a legal review of potential misconduct by involved persons.
Allegations Spanning Decades
The allegations against the church musician were initially publicized through a report in the "Siegener Zeitung." Deloitte's findings suggest that seven individuals have made allegations against him, spanning from the 1980s to 2022. All were organ students. The accused admitted to sexual contacts with two of them; whether they were minors at the time couldn't be confirmed. The former employee denied further advances or actions, but findings from the investigation suggest otherwise.
Handling of Allegations by the Church
Allegations of sexual misconduct within the church have been known since the 1990s, though no formal investigation was conducted. Kurschus was a parish pastor in Siegen at the time, closely acquainted with the accused's wife.
Kurschus parted ways with her top positions towards the end of 2023, citing a loss of public trust but emphasizing that she was "at peace with herself" in the matter. In interviews, several men have accused Kurschus of knowing about the abuse allegations but failing to act appropriately.
Westphalian Church Admits Failure
The Evangelical Church in Westphalia, acknowledging its failure to protect students entrusted to the accused church musician over several decades, has pledged to learn from this experience and take corrective action. Measures include investigating potential breaches of duty by those involved, enhancing procedures for preventing and intervening in cases of sexualized violence, and establishing reliable procedures for coordinated action across the different levels of the EKvW.
Communication processes were deficient and opaque, which led to the failure of the church to address allegations effectively in the past. The Westphalian Church will evaluate and modify its practices to ensure better handling of such concerns in the future.
Legal Investigation Halted
The public prosecutor's office in Siegen had previously discontinued the proceedings against the church employee. From a criminal law perspective, the accused could not be charged with sexually abusing those in his care, the investigating authority stated. In the investigated suspicions, either no criminal offense was apparent, or the cases were statute-barred.
- Final Report
- Annette Kurschus
- EKD
- Deloitte
- Siegen-Wittgenstein
- Audit
- Westphalia
- 1980s
- Conflict
A Closer Look at Church Responses
Churches usually handle accusations of sexual misconduct by conducting internal investigations, reporting to authorities, providing support for victims, and imposing disciplinary actions, as per established policies. Furthermore, they may review internal procedures to prevent future incidents following investigations. However, specific details about the Evangelical Church in Westphalia's (EKvW) response to such allegations preceding Kurschus' tenure are not readily available.
- The final report from Deloitte, commissioned by the Evangelical Church of Westphalia (EKvW), revealed that Annette Kurschus, former EKD Council Chair and President of the Westphalian Church, was informed about potential allegations of sexual misconduct in October 2022 but did not address them effectively.
- The Evangelical Church of Westphalia, in acknowledging its failure to protect victims of sexual misconduct, has pledged to learn from this experience, implementing measures that include investigating potential breaches of duty, enhancing prevention and intervention procedures, and establishing reliable procedures for coordinated action across various levels of the EKvW.
- The handling of allegations by the Church appears to have been influenced by internal conflicts, leading to a lack of transparency, high media pressure, and a lack of support within church committees, as stated in Deloitte's report.
- The investigation carried out by Deloitte showed that allegations of sexual misconduct within the church have been known since the 1990s, with seven individuals making allegations against the church musician, spanning from the 1980s to 2022, all of whom were organ students. The accused admitted to sexual contacts with two of them, but it couldn't be confirmed whether they were minors at the time.
