Survey by interview or questionnaire

adminonNovember 16, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Symbolic image of abuse in the Catholic Church © Artur Szczybylo (shutterstock)

Those affected by the sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Mecklenburg are now to be included in the process of coming to terms with it. The researchers from the University of Ulm commissioned with the study invite them to interviews, as the Archdiocese of Hamburg announced on Tuesday.

Alternatively, it would also be possible to fill out a questionnaire. The surveys took place anonymously, it was said. Those affected, who had contacted the independent contact persons of the archdiocese in advance, are invited to participate by letter. It is the overriding goal of the study to "make the individual experiences of those affected visible," it says. In addition, church-institutional and societal conditions should be recorded "and ways of influencing measures to detect the crime, punish the perpetrators and prevent it should be investigated".

Interview and questionnaire should include information on the crime, the circumstances of the crime, the consequences for the victims and the influence of the abuse on the further course of life. In addition, the "retrospective evaluation of hindering and promoting reactions/measures to uncover the crime and punish the perpetrator" will be queried.

Coming to terms with the period from 1945 to 1989

Archbishop Stefan Hebe had set up an advisory board in 2018 to deal with sexual abuse in the Catholic Church of Mecklenburg. The latter commissioned scientists from the University of Ulm with a two-year research project. The reappraisal, led by psychiatrist Manuela Dudeck, covers the period from 1945 to 1989.

A study by the German Bishops' Conference had registered a particularly large number of cases of sexual abuse in the Mecklenburg part of the Archdiocese of Hamburg. According to the report, 17 priests are known to have committed acts of abuse against 54 children and adolescents. One of the main suspects is the priest Hermann-Josef Timmerbeil, who died in 1979 and led the parish of Neubrandenburg between 1946 and 1975.

Shadow of a cross © Harald Oppitz (KNA)

The Catholic Church in Italy wants to make it easier for victims of sexual abuse to report corresponding acts. The Secretary General of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Stefano Russo, pleads for voluntariness.

The secretary general of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Stefano Russo, rejects a duty to report child abuse; Italian law also does not provide for such a duty.

The intention is to "facilitate reports and invite victims of abuse to file reports, but to do so with respect for the will of the victims and their families," Russo said, according to a report by Catholic press service SIR. Delicate ies are involved.

New guidelines to strengthen prevention

Everything that helps to bring the truth to light more quickly is useful and good. This includes not only cooperation with state authorities, but also with all those who deal with the ie of abuse.

At a three-day meeting from Monday to Wednesday, Italy's bishops had again discussed reforming their guidelines for dealing with abuse. Once again, those affected also reported on their suffering and experiences. The revised guidelines are expected to be approved at the bishops' conference plenary meeting in May.

The new guidelines are aimed primarily at strengthening and expanding prevention efforts. Russo referred to the pope's decrees for the Vatican State and the Curia published last week. The Italian bishops' guidelines are very similar, he said.

Meeting with child protection commissioner

According to the report, the head of the Catholic Church in Italy's specialized office for child protection, Archbishop Lorenzo Ghizzoni, plans to meet soon with the recently appointed child protection officers of Italy's church regions. These bodies include religious and experts in various disciplines.

A documentary film got the ball rolling: Bishop of Kalisz alleged to have covered up sexual abuse. Now Pope Francis has acted and put Bishop Edward Janiak on leave of absence. The defends itself however with counter reproaches.

For several weeks now, a scandal involving Bishop Edward Janiak has been causing a stir in Poland. Since mid-May, several million people have watched the documentary "The Hide-and-Seek Game" on the Youtube video platform.

In it, the 67-year-old bishop of the central Polish city of Kalisz is accused of having done nothing about a priest who sexually abused children – even though their parents informed Janiak about it in 2016.

Now Pope Francis has suspended the bishop and appointed an interim head for the diocese, according to the Vatican nunciature in Warsaw on Thursday.

Pope withdraws all powers from bishop

The Archbishop of Lodz, Grzegorz Rys (56), received as Apostolic Administrator "sede plena" all powers to lead the diocese of Kalisz. Janiak was ordered to stay outside the diocese of Kalisz during the investigation into possible failings, the nunciature said. This means that he "cannot intervene in any way in the administration of the diocese of Kalisz".

In early June, the Vatican's Congregation of Bishops had instructed Poznan Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, as the metropolitan in charge, to investigate the allegations against Janiak. The investigation continues.

Bishop accused, among other things, of not informing Vatican of abuse allegations against priest.

Janiak protests against investigation

Janiak rejects the accusations. In mid-June, he also wrote this to many fellow bishops. The letter was leaked to the newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza" and published by it. The bishop complains bitterly about Poland's Primate Archbishop Wojciech Polak, who immediately after the publication of the film had initiated an investigation by the Vatican.

Polak is also Child Protection Officer of the Polish Bishops' Conference. Polak has damaged the reputation of the Church, caused great confusion and prejudged him, protests Janiak in his letter.

Bishop doubts legality of foundation

But that's not all: Janiak also claimed that the primate had not been duly elected as child protection commissioner.
His appointment was forced instead, he said. In addition, there had been manipulations in the establishment of the "Saint Joseph Foundation" of the Bishops' Conference for victims of sexual abuse. The majority of bishops would have voted against the creation of the foundation, but the result had been changed to a positive vote.

Responsibility for education lies with the Holy See

The Secretary General of the Bishops' Conference, Bishop Artur Mizinski, denied this, as did Polak. After the documentary, he "could not remain silent or inactive," the primate referred to Vatican regulations. Janiak has in the procedure, "a real chance to present his arguments in his defense". The evaluation of the case lies exclusively in the competence of the Holy See. Polak stressed that he was concerned about the well-being of the victims and the true well-being of the Church.

Most recently, "Gazeta Wyborcza" reported that Janiak had come to the Kalisz clinic in early June with a suspected stroke. There, however, they had only determined that he was heavily intoxicated: 3.44 per mille resulted in the Meng.

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