Consultation with the pope

adminonNovember 26, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Cardinal Donald William Wuerl, archbishop of Washington © Paul Haring (KNA)

Cardinal Wuerl traveled to the Vatican last week to consult with Pope Francis about the cover-up allegations against him, according to recent U.S. media reports. First consequence: He spoke to priests of his archdiocese.

Cardinal Wuerl's meeting with Pope Francis was confirmed by Archdiocese of Washington spokesman Edward McFadden, without giving details, according to CNN (Tuesday local time). Then on Monday, Wuerl faced a meeting with some 100 priests from his archdiocese.

The pope advised Wuerl to have the debate during their meeting in Rome on Thursday, it said. According to the portal "Il Sismografo", there were also isolated calls for the resignation of clerics against Wuerl. Overall, however, the cardinal has received broad support, the portal quotes McFadden as saying.

Abusive priests transferred to other places

The Archbishop of Washington is accused of knowing about sexual misconduct by his predecessor, Theodore McCarrick, 88, but concealing it. In addition, during his 18 years as bishop of Pittsburgh, he reportedly did not crack down hard enough on sexual assaults by priests and merely transferred clergy who committed child molestation to other locations. The Pennsylvania grand jury report on clerical abuse, which has dominated the headlines for weeks, details several such cases.

Wuerl has denied knowing about McCarrick's abuses. In the past, the latter had apparently forced seminary students in need of protection to have sex and is suspected of having abused at least two minors.

Looking back on his tenure in Pittsburgh, however, Wuerl acknowledged "errors of judgment" and "shortcomings" and asked for forgiveness from the faithful in an open letter in late August.

U.S. bishops call for close investigation

Several prominent Catholics in the U.S. have called on Wuerl to resign in recent days. The 77-year-old cardinal has passed the usual age limit for bishops of 75; however, the pope can refuse the mandatory resignation and extend the term of office.

The affair surrounding Wuerl's predecessor McCarrick gained explosiveness through a letter from the former nuncio in the USA, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. In it, he accused high-ranking church officials, including Wuerl and even Pope Francis, of condoning the cardinal's abuses. He therefore called on the pope to resign.

A number of U.S. bishops are calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations. Many observers and supporters of Pope Francis suspect a campaign by strictly conservative circles against his reform course.

New service aims to help victims of organized abuse © Rolf Vennenbernd

Sexual and ritual violence require special expertise in dealing with trauma. For that reason, from now on there will be a telephone service to offer help to victims of organized abuse.

A new telephone counseling service is designed to help victims of organized abuse. The service launches this Friday and is aimed at both victims and people who are concerned about someone, have a suspicion or are seeking information on the topic. The abuse commissioner of the German government, Johannes-Wilhelm Rorig, announced that.

Sexual and ritual violence

It is mainly about organized sexual and ritual violence. In organized violent structures, the systematic use of severe sexualized violence in combination with physical and psychological violence is made possible by the cooperation of several perpetrators.

Often this is associated with commercial sexual exploitation. When an ideology serves as a justification or rationale for violence, it is called ritual violence.

"berta" – free of charge and anonymous

Nationwide, the service called "berta" will be available free of charge and anonymously at 0800 /305 07 50 on Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is part of the "Sexual Abuse Help Line," which is run by the Abuse Commissioner and the association N.I.N.A. is organized. It is the first such contact point for victims of organized sexualized and ritual violence, it said.

The contact persons of "berta" are reportedly psychologically and pedagogically trained and have many years of personal experience with organized and ritual violence. They advise on opting out and all related ies. In addition, they provide information and point out other opportunities for support. Every conversation at "berta" remains confidential, he continued.

Help for those affected to get out

Those affected by organized sexualized and ritual violence structures need active support to get out, because this form of violence is often practiced in very isolated structures and the existing help system is usually not effective, said Rorig.

There is also a need to raise awareness among psychological and educational professionals, as well as among the judiciary and politicians. Those affected reported that they were usually not believed when they confided in them.

Binding regulations have been in place for legal prostitution for a month to protect women and make brothel operators more accountable. The prostitute protection law is a sham, Sister Lea told our site.

Interviewer: Why do you not like the law?

Sister Lea Ackermann (founder of the aid organization Solwodi):We reject the law because it is a sham. It does not actually help the women and children who are involved in prostitution. Underlying all of this is a false view of prostitution. The degradation of human beings in prostitution is left out, the fact that people in prostitution are turned into commodities.

Interviewer: The law provides for things that might be in your sense: the condom obligation for johns, for example, and the obligation to obtain a permit for brothel operators. Aren't these tangible improvements?

Sister Lea: No, that is ridiculous! Who wants to control, for example, whether the condom obligation is kept?! The women who would actually insist in a brothel, they would certainly have to expect punishment – or even assault.

Interviewer: On the other hand, prostitutes must now also officially register, carry a prostitute card. What is problematic about it?

Sister Lea: The main problem with this law is that it does not treat prostitution as a crime, but wants to make it acceptable as a profession. This drives even more people into prostitution. That, in turn, I consider a crime! The law devalues women and children. Quite unilaterally, there are also costs for society, because it has to come and pay in the end. For all those harmed in body and soul by prostitution. In the end, the brothel operators, the human traffickers, the traffickers and smugglers – maybe even the state – profit from it.
Interviewer: Solwodi is also a contact point for prostitutes in need. Have you already received feedback from them as to whether they are already feeling the effects of the new law??
Sister Lea: We are in close contact with affected women, who often call themselves "survivors". In view of the new regulations, the women are now simply afraid that they will come out and be left out in the cold afterwards. Official registration scares women.
Interviewer: Do you actually get support from the ranks of the Catholic Church for your clear criticism of the new law??
Sister Lea: I regret very much that the Catholic Church, that the bishops here in Germany do not speak out clearly on this ie. This is partly quite different in our neighboring countries. The French bishops, for example, wrote as early as 2003: "A century and a half after the abolition of slavery, it still exists in the form of prostitution. Women are viewed like a commodity on the market and according to how much profit they yield. They are beaten, raped and drilled to fulfill any desire, including perverted ones." – We're talking about egregious crimes against women in prostitution and we should be really clear about that as a Catholic Church!
Interviewer: You say that Germany should do as Sweden or France, for example, and ban sex for sale completely. Why?

Sister Lea: I find the corresponding legislation in Sweden, France, Norway, Canada etc.really very good. Because there the law does not target the women, but looks at the buyers, at the johns and forbids them the business – according to the motto "The buyer makes the market". The clear statement behind it: "You can't buy a woman; you can't buy a man!"The punishments that follow are not so important. It depends on the change of perspective. In Sweden, the law, which has been in effect there for twelve years, has actually made women and men more equal.

Interviewer: But doesn't a complete ban push prostitutes into illegality?? There will certainly continue to be prostitution in Sweden and France.

Sister Lea: Yes, but as an evil, as a crime – even if we can't completely prevent crime through laws, of course. In Germany, of course, we continue to deal with thefts despite the ban on theft. But laws are also there to provide guidelines for how we want to live in our society. That the dignity of women is respected without ifs and buts, that would be such a guideline for me.

The interview was conducted by Silvia Ochlast

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