Cover-up accusations against former bishop

adminonNovember 25, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Cover-up accusations against former bishop

View of Trier Cathedral © NatalyaBond (shutterstock)

What exactly did the former bishop of Trier, Bernhard Stein, know?? The initiative Missbit accuses him of having covered up sexual abuse. Bishop Stein Square in Trier could now be renamed.

The initiative Missbit raises serious accusations against the former bishop of Trier Bernhard Stein (1904-1993): He had not only known about sexual abuse by clerics during his term of office from 1967 to 1980, but had covered up acts and perpetrators by merely transferring encroaching priests.

And in one case, even against the explicit warning of his official. In addition to clarification, the initiative now demands a symbolic act of public sympathy: the city should give the Bishop Stein Square, which is centrally located in Trier's old town, a new name.

The accusations are based on research by Trier historian and Missbit spokesman Thomas Schnitzler, who presented his findings in Trier on Tuesday evening. Schnitzler refers to documents from the personal files of accused priests, which he was able to view as a person affected by the accusations. He further relies on statements of those affected and people from their environment.

Rename Bishop Stein Square?

According to the report, Schnitzler collected information on priests from the diocese who were ordained between 1945 and 1980. The historian went into detail about 26 clerics, showed pictures of the accused, named the deeds they were accused of and their further career. Some had been transferred several times. Many had continued to work with children, in schools or hospitals, even after they had been accused of abuse. The later places of operation were not informed about the accusations and personnel files were blacked out, the historian criticizes.

Schnitzler suggested that Bishop Stein Square be renamed "Human Dignity Square". The city must consider whether this bishop is worthy of the honor that comes to him with the naming of the square, said the historian.

The diocese announced its intention to shed light on Stein's role and his handling of abuse in the course of the diocese-wide reappraisal. The criteria agreed upon with the German government's abuse commissioner, Johannes-Wilhelm Rorig, would be followed in the process. "Before the result of such a reappraisal, for which there will be an independent commission, the question of renaming the square is premature," the diocese said.

Concrete case description

Schnitzler describes several cases specifically and in detail: One case revolves around a former chaplain in Trier-Kurenz. The historian refers to a letter from the then Offizial to Stein, dated 23. March 1968. In it, the head of the ecclesiastical court called on the bishop to initiate proceedings against a chaplain accused of abuse on several occasions. The letter states that the Offizial spoke with the mother of one of the boys involved.

Accordingly, the Offizial recommended that the chaplain be suspended. "It seems unacceptable to me that the aforementioned misconduct remains unpunished." How and whether Stein answered the Offizial is unknown. In a letter dated 1. July 1968 the bishop informs the chaplain that he is transferring him from his position in Trier-Kurenz to Bettingen in the Eifel. According to Schnitzler, such a procedure is not an isolated case.

The mood among the audience on Tuesday evening is calm and at the same time tense. When Schnitzler introduces the individual accused, one hears whispers – from "I knew him" to insults of the alleged perpetrator. Members of the audience speak out and express their incomprehension of the way in which the victims and the accused were treated. And anger about the fact that no one from the diocese was officially available to answer their questions at the event.

They no longer expect anything from the church, they say. On the other hand, they place hopes in politics: "If the Bishop Stone Square falls, then the church power structures will be tarnished," says an audience member.

Gingerbread hearts at the Oktoberfest © katjen (shutterstock)

The Wiesn innkeepers have already upset. "Reputation-damaging" is the series. The spectators could believe that it was still so brutal today. The makers could not have wished for better advertising.

The men with their feathers and bast skirts on the Isar beach confuse you a bit at the beginning. A flashback to the time of the Bavarians? No, they did not look like those "savages" from the South Seas, from German Samoa. What this has to do with the Wiesn? Much. Because from 1875 onwards, ethnic shows with people from all over the world became more and more popular there, the last one, by the way, took place in 1959. Such "cannibals" gave you the feeling of being something better, and you could believe anything of them, even the murder of the venerable Giesing inn and brewery owner Ignatz Hoflinger (Francis Fulton-Smith).

"Oktoberfest 1900" is the name of the event series based on historical events for which Alexis von Wittgenstein developed the concept. From 15. In September, it will be broadcast on three evenings, each with double episodes, on the German television channel Ersten. Directed by Hannu Salonen, a cast of first-rate actors plays with. If it's up to Maximilian Bruckner, who embodies a corrupt, rich beer brewer named Anatol Stifter, you shouldn't miss it: "A thriller, a drama, a comedy – there's everything in it."Even more so, where this year the biggest folk festival in the world has to be cancelled due to corona.

The plot

Hoflinger is the first victim of Curt Prank (Misel Maticevic), an upstart from Nuremberg. He has moved to Munich with his daughter Clara (Mercedes Muller) to pursue his dream of a "beer castle" for 6.000 guests to realize. 20 times the size of the usual beer stalls at the Oktoberfest. For this, he needs the appropriate floor space; to get it, any means will do. If he doesn't get anywhere with bribery, his man for the rough stuff helps him (Martin Feifel). The gastronome actually existed. His name was Georg Lang, and in his beer hall the drinking song "Ein Prosit auf die Gemutlichkeit" was heard for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Hoflinger widow (Martina Gedeck) is fighting for the survival of the Deibel brewery and for the Wiesn business, which is expected to reorganize her family. May hope live on in her two sons and in "her good beer," the priest wished her at the funeral service. Even a real priest with experience as a Wiesn waiter slipped into this supporting role: Rainer Maria Schiebler.

Strong women are also represented

As if from a powerful brew for a quaffable Marzen beer, the makers have drawn from the full. In the Prague studios, a Munich of the Prince Regent era was created with gloomy corners including a colorful Oktoberfest, which had nothing of the Bussi city. In return, there was a Schwabing bohemian scene with Kandinsky, Thoma and Countess Reventlow. When these artists are guests at the "Oiden Deibel" in the working-class district of Giesing, two worlds collide. In the middle of it innkeeper's son Ludwig, who is discovered as a draftsman for the "Simplicissimus" and whose at that time still punishable homosexuality makes him blackmailable.

The beer cartel may be a matter of men making up the rules among themselves. For example, since the turn of the century, it has been the rule that only beer from Munich breweries may be served at the Wiesn. But there are also strong women in this multi-part. Brigitte Hobmeier plays the beer girl Colina Kandl, who becomes the chaperone of Prank's daughter with cunning. When she later returns to her job as a waitress, the innkeeper knows how to market the red-haired beauty on posters that show her carrying beer mugs on a barrel like the Schutzenliesl (shooting girl). She, in turn, is using her notoriety to negotiate better wages for herself and her colleagues by going on strike.

Multifaceted series

Love, intrigue, violence and humor – the series takes you back in time and gives you a glimpse into the abyss. The visitors to the Wiesn don't notice anything that goes on in the background. They just want to escape from everyday life for a few hours, as they did today.

Therefore a cheers to this television event. The disgruntled Wiesn landlords are advised: "Schwoabts it obe!" (Wash it down) – best with a cool Wiesn beer, which should be available at least in the trade also this year.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Unicef groups in more than 50 German cities have called for increased efforts on behalf of disadvantaged children. Numerous activities are planned under the motto "Put your hand on it – make children's rights a reality". The plight of children worldwide has been exacerbated by the financial crisis.

The slump in the global economy is leading to an increase in poverty, hunger and disease among children in developing and emerging countries, Unicef Deputy Executive Director Hilde Johnson said Thursday at the launch of her organization's annual report in Berlin.To date, one in two of the approximately 2.2 billion children on earth lacks basic things such as sufficient food, clean water, medical care, schooling and a roof over their heads, according to the report "On the situation of children's rights in the world".According to the report, the number of malnourished children continues to rise due to high food prices and poor harvests. Some 200 million children under the age of five have their development stunted by chronic lack of food, it said.In addition, the poorest children are the most affected by natural disasters as a result of climate change, said Johnson, a former Norwegian development minister. Their risk of disease is increasing due to strong UV radiation and infections such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. The growing social contrasts worldwide lead to disadvantaged children "being left behind more and more". According to UNICEF, only 65 percent of the poorest children in developing countries attend school.

Child mortality is declining Johnson reported initial successes in the fight against child mortality. In 1990, 13 million children died before their fifth birthday; today, the figure is just under nine million. In contrast, the report cites the exploitation of children as cheap labor and the trafficking of children as a challenge. Worldwide, around 150 million five- to 14-year-olds would currently be working. According to estimates by the International Labor Organization, in 2000 alone some 1.2 million children were sold like commodities by human traffickers and some 1.8 million children and young people were exploited for prostitution and pornography.For Germany, UNICEF ambassador and TV presenter Sabine Christiansen noted a growing gap between poor and rich families and children's educational opportunities. Nearly one in six children is already growing up in poverty and the number of school leavers without qualifications is rising. In view of the demographic development, Christiansen warned against a policy at the expense of the youngest in society. It called again for the inclusion of children's rights in the Basic Law.

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