The “avalanche” of the mixa case

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The Mixa case continues to move Germany's editorial offices: Bild am Sonntag reported on an "excerpt from the bishop's palace," Suddeutsche and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on a "secret papal file". One thing is certain: Catholics in the Augsburg diocese want peace at last.

The Augsburg Diocesan Council of Catholics urges a swift departure of resigned Bishop Walter Mixa from the diocese. Mixa must leave the diocese so that "finally calm sets in," said the chairman of the Augsburg Diocesan Council, Helmut Mangold on Monday (21.06.2010) told our site. Even with alternatives, however, the bishop could "retreat into a very quiet environment" even within the diocese. First and foremost, Mixa must be restrained: "I don't want to banish him to Siberia now." The fuss about Mixa is hurting the diocese "because so many people are among his fans," Mangold stressed. "Our problem is not the bishop himself, but the quarrels between opponents and supporters." These had escalated to such an extent "that it is hardly bearable any more.". A small snowball has turned into "a big avalanche that is sweeping across the diocese". Mangold said he had the impression that Mixa's supporters thought that a great battle was currently beginning against the Catholic Church, which needed to be protected. The fight for Mixa is mixed up with the fight for the church. "They feel like crusaders," he said. The Mixa case harms not only the diocese of Augsburg, but the church in Germany as a whole.

Newspaper: Secret Pope file incriminates Mixa schw Meanwhile, the Suddeutsche Zeitung reports in its Monday edition of serious accusations, some of which have not yet been made public, that the file on the Mixa case available to the pope contains. According to information from the paper, the dossier comprises several dozen pages. It contains statements from even the closest associates and acquaintances, which are supposed to prove that the bishop has an alcohol and perception problem. Likewise, in at least two cases not yet publicly known, he is said to have approached young men to such an extent that they would have perceived this as crossing the line.According to the "Suddeutsche Zeitung" and the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung", this file is said to have been the reason why Pope Benedict XVI. on 8. May accepted Mixa's request for resignation. The preliminary investigations by the Ingolstadt public prosecutor's office on suspicion of sexual abuse would have played only a minor role. These investigations were discontinued when the alleged victim declared that there had been no abuse on the part of the bishop. Mixa had said last week that the chairman of the German bishops' conference, Robert Zollitsch, Munich Archbishop Reinhard Marx and Augsburg auxiliary bishop Anton Losinger had used these preliminary investigations to discredit him with the pope.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx © Lino Mirgeler

Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx does not want to receive the Federal Cross of Merit. In a letter to German President Steinmeier on Tuesday, Marx asked to forgo the award planned for Friday at Bellevue Palace.

This is the right step, he says, with consideration for those who take offense at it. Abuse victims from Cologne and Trier had criticized the honor in view of Marx's unresolved role in several abuse cases.

"I take the criticism that is now being voiced by people who have been affected by sexual abuse in the space of the church very seriously, regardless of the accuracy of the individual statements in open letters and in the media publicity," writes Cardinal Reinhard Marx (67), according to his press office. He feels personally and also as a minister of the church obliged to the reappraisal.

Marx explains that he also wants to prevent negative interpretations with regard to other people who have received this distinction. At the same time, he had thanked for the "high honor of the award", to which Steinmeier had adhered "even in response to public criticism". He does not want to harm the office of the Federal President.

A sign for further reappraisal

He was aware that the award was also an occasion for self-critical reflection on his work and the work of the Catholic Church as a whole, writes Marx. He takes seriously the criticism that is now being voiced by people who have been affected by sexual abuse in the church – regardless of the accuracy of individual statements. In the sense of coming to terms with the past, to which he is committed, "I naturally do not ignore this criticism".

The cardinal expressed the hope that with this step he could perhaps also send a signal "that the further processing and, if possible, healing in the area of sexual abuse in church and society remains an important concern for me".

Steinmeier respects decision

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier respects the decision of Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx to renounce the award of the Federal Order of Merit. A spokeswoman informed the Catholic News Agency (KNA) on Tuesday evening in response to a request: "In a telephone conversation with Cardinal Marx, the Federal President reaffirmed his great merits for solidarity and justice, as expressed not least in the campaign for the reception of refugees, but also in the constant dialogue of Church and society."

Both are in agreement that the processing of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is "of paramount importance" and must be continued. To show consideration for those who had taken offense at the awarding of the order deserved recognition, added the Federal President, according to his spokeswoman.

The planned award of the Federal Cross of Merit to Marx had been criticized on Monday by the "affected advisory council Archdiocese of Cologne". The order may only be awarded if it is clearly proven that Marx did not take part in covering up abuse cases or obstructed clarification, advisory board member Peter Bringmann-Henselder had written to Steinmeier.

Abuse victims welcome the renunciation

Missbit association from the diocese of Trier called Marx's decision the "only right option". The announcement to renounce the honor shows that Marx is taking the criticism very seriously, said Missbit spokesman Hermann Schell. At the same time, he is disturbed that the Archbishop of Munich and former Bishop of Trier does not take a further position on the criticisms voiced by victims.

The spokesman for the affected persons' initiative "Eckiger Tisch," Matthias Katsch, also welcomed the decision of the former chairman of the German Bishops' Conference. "Respect!", Katsch commented on Twitter. He himself was honored with the Federal Cross of Merit in April, together with Jesuit priest Klaus Mertes.

Office of the Federal President initially held on to the award

The Office of the Federal President had initially held on to the award. Marx had stood in his time as chairman of the Catholic German Bishops' Conference "in a particularly high-profile way for justice and solidarity in society," it said, for example through his commitment to the reception of refugees and against populism and agitation.

For these services, he should be awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, like his predecessors in the office of bishops' conference chairman and former council chairman of the Protestant Church in Germany.

Cardinal George Pell © Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

He is the highest-ranking Catholic official ever convicted of abuse. But Australian Cardinal George Pell also always insisted on his innocence. On Tuesday, once again, everything is at stake for him.

This Tuesday, the final verdict in the case of Australian Cardinal George Pell, who was convicted of child abuse, will be delivered. The Supreme Court in Brisbane will decide whether to keep the 78-year-old in prison for six years or acquit him for lack of evidence. Nearly two years ago, the former high-ranking aide to Pope Francis was put on trial on five counts of child sexual abuse.

Australia's highest-ranking Catholic church official at the time was found guilty by a jury in December 2018 of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in 1996 as Melbourne's archbishop after a high mass at the cathedral. One he allegedly coerced into oral sex, the other sexually molested. The jury also considered it proven that Pell assaulted one of the boys again a few weeks later. In February 2019, the cardinal was sentenced to six years in prison, which can be suspended after three years and eight months.

Last resort

After two of the three judges in an appeals court upheld Pell's conviction in August 2019, the High Court trial is the 78-year-old's last chance at life in freedom. During a two-day hearing before the final court in March, Pell's lawyer Bret Walker argued that the jury in the trial of his client based its guilty verdict solely on the victim's testimony and disregarded exculpatory testimony. In addition, the playing of the video with the victim's testimony was not legally admissible in the appeal proceedings.

The man who stated in the trial that he had been assaulted by Pell more than 20 years ago during his time as archbishop in the vestry of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne to have been sexually abused, had made his statement in camera. The second alleged victim had died of a heroin overdose shortly before the trial.

Outcome of the procedure uncertain

Legal experts and media in Australia dare not make predictions about the outcome of the trial, although observers gave high marks to Pell's defense team after the two-day hearing in the High Court. The most likely outcome is that the judges will either overturn the conviction or reject the appeal, and the cardinal will thus remain in custody. But another option is also conceivable: according to experts, the court could uphold the verdict against Pell in some of the five cases and overturn it in others – and possibly refer the case back to the appeals court for a retrial.

In any case, the announcement of the decision on Tuesday morning Australian time by Judge Susan Kiefel will only take a few minutes. Only a handful of people will be present at the sentencing in the Brisbane courtroom because of the ban on meetings in the wake of the Corona pandemic.

New accusations

Meanwhile, two men made new allegations of abuse against Pell last week. In an extensive interview with the Australian broadcaster ABC, they stated that they had been sexually abused by him in an orphanage in Ballarat and in a swimming pool respectively. Pell served as a young priest in the 1970s in the Ballarat diocese, which emerged as one of the centers of abuse and cover-up during the state abuse commission's investigation of the abuse scandal.

Australian Curia Cardinal Pell had been prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy since 2014, making him a kind of "finance minister" to the pope. Because of the criminal trials against him, he had already been on leave from Pope Francis as chief financial officer since June 2017. Before his time at the Vatican, Pell was archbishop of Melbourne (1996-2001) and Sydney (2001-2014). He was a member of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1990 to 2000.

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