Prosecutor's office investigates two cases

adminonDecember 22, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Prosecutor's office investigates two cases

After the publication of the study on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, the public prosecutor's office in Hildesheim has started investigations in two cases. This was communicated by spokeswoman Christina Pannek.

According to the report, the diocese of Hildesheim has handed over documents on six accused priests who are still alive to the public prosecutor's office. According to Pannek, a so-called preliminary investigation was opened against one of them, but it was discontinued due to lack of initial suspicion. Three other proceedings have been discontinued because of the statute of limitations, the spokeswoman told the Catholic News Agency (KNA). The public prosecutor's office gave no further details on the two ongoing investigations.

As part of the study on sexual abuse presented by the German bishops at the end of September, there were references in church files from 1946 to 2014 to 3 nationwide.677 victims of sexual assault and to about 1.670 accused priests, deacons and religious have been found.

The Hildesheim diocese recorded at least 153 victims and 46 accused priests in recent decades. Of the alleged perpetrators, only ten are still alive, according to the diocese. Criminal charges were filed against four even before the study was published.

Diocese plans reappraisal with experts

Hildesheim's new bishop Heiner Wilmer had recently repeatedly spoken out in favor of a "relentless clarification of the cases of sexual abuse" and had shown himself willing to cooperate.

After new abuse allegations against the deceased former bishop Heinrich Maria Janssen, he wants to seek advice again from the Munich Institute for Practical Research and Project Consulting (IPP), as was revealed on Tuesday in response to a KNA inquiry. The researchers were supposed to help put together an external group of experts to look into the matter, it was said.

After the publication of the Cologne report, women's associations, among others, called for a vigil in front of Cologne Cathedral to show their solidarity with those affected. But why were the participants dressed in black?

Interviewer: You were dressed completely in black at the vigil. What do you want to express with it?

Elisabeth Bungartz (Chairwoman of the Catholic Women's Association of Germany, kfd, in the Archdiocese of Cologne): We would like to express our consternation and also a certain form of mourning, because we are of the opinion that not enough attention is paid to those affected. So their right is also denied. And that's what we want to express and support today.

Interviewer: Thursday was a very important day this week in terms of education on the subject of sexualized violence in the Archdiocese of Cologne. Are you satisfied with the results?

Bungartz: I think that's a first impact. The legal opinion is now available and I have to say that I am also glad that it has now been put on the table after all this "bumbling around", which has kept us busy recently or for two years already. But of course nothing has been achieved yet, nothing has been said. For me it is now a matter of taking moral, ethical responsibility. I see that now as important and to help those affected to get justice and also to pay appropriate compensation to these people. I see that as very important, it doesn't end with a legal opinion.

Interviewer: Now there have been some suspensions and resignations. Are these already clear, good signs for you??

Bungartz: I would rather say small signs. I believe that a great deal more needs to happen in this area. Personally, I am not so much concerned with these people, with the resignations. Certainly they have brought guilt upon themselves. But I believe that there is much more to it than that.

Interviewer: What do you personally wish for the next time with regard to the reappraisal??

Bungartz: I wish that the rights of those affected would be given even more attention, be strengthened more, and that a reform of our church would be initiated in general as a result of this. In my opinion, structural changes are needed. Clericalism must be dismantled, this whole hierarchical power system. For me, this is to be questioned and since changes are now to be brought about in the course of this.

The interview was conducted by Verena Troster.

In the divided diocese of Chur, a new bishop is still awaited who can fill in the gaps that have arisen. The papal nuncio, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, inquires about possible candidates.

Soon the Congregation of Bishops in Rome should receive mail from Bern again. According to information from the portal kath.A new round of consultations is underway: the pope's ambassador to Switzerland, Archbishop Thomas Gullickson, is gathering information from churchmen about possible candidates for the bishop's seat in Chur. The Catholic News Agency (KNA) presents five candidates whose names are said to be on the list.

Joseph Bonnemain: Should his name actually make it into the final round, he should have the best chances of being elected by the majority conservative cathedral chapter. He is himself a member of the cathedral chapter and enjoys a good reputation not only there. Those who know the diocese see him as a bridge builder. As a member of Opus Dei, he is conservative enough to provide some continuity. As episcopal vicar for relations with state-church organizations and the cantons, he has shown that he stands up for the dual Swiss system.

Bonnemain is secretary of the bishops' conference's expert panel on "Sexual Assault in the Church Environment," where he brings expertise and credibility to the table. He is not only an ecclesiastical lawyer, but also a doctor and active in hospital chaplaincy. At 72, however, Bonnemain would be a transitional bishop: after three years, he would have to offer his resignation to the pope in accordance with canon law, and could then be extended for a few more years at most.

Urban Federer: The abbot of Einsiedeln Monastery is the desired candidate of progressive Catholics. The 52-year-old comes from Zurich, sees himself as part of a postmodern generation and is an expert in church music. A Germanist, he received his doctorate on "Mystical Experience in Literary Dialogue".

Federer is a sought-after interview partner whose voice is also heard in urban and secular milieus: modern in thought and, as a Benedictine, at the same time committed to a long tradition. Many believe he can open a new chapter in the divided diocese of Chur. His young age speaks both for and against him. He could shape the diocese for more than two decades.

Ruedi Beck: The name on a list from the nuncio would be surprising; after all, Beck does not belong to Chur, but to the diocese of Basel. Whether the cathedral chapter will choose an external candidate is questionable. The member of the Focolare movement stands for a diaconal and charismatic church course. Because of his refugee work, Beck once had to stand trial before the Basel criminal court, but was acquitted.

The pastor of the Hofkirche in Lucerne is known for pointed statements. From 2000 to 2003, Beck was co-director of the international center for theology students of the Focolare movement in Rome. In 2010, he was already once considered for the episcopal see of Basel, but did not make the cut. born in 1963, he would also be comparatively young.

Adrian Luchinger: The parish priest in Horgen, born in 1965, is even a bit younger. Luchinger belongs to the "Forum Priests of the Diocese of Chur," which advocates for a bridge-builder as bishop. The forum also criticizes a "growing alienation between a large part of the faithful and the diocesan church leadership".

Luchinger received his doctorate with a thesis on "Papal Infallibility in Henry Edward Manning and John Henry Newman".

In 2014, he said about the Synod on the Family in Rome: "Without wanting to appear disillusioned after 20 years in the church, I have become realistic. Similar to the infallibility ie, there is a pro and a con faction for change. But we can hope that there will be positive effects on pastoral activity and that we will benefit from the wave of sympathy that is currently prevailing for Pope Francis and that we will be able to take something of its momentum with us."

Mario Pinggera: The parish priest of Richterswil, born in 1969, is considered at best an outsider's candidate. Pinggera is a passionate church musician and lecturer for church music in Chur. His doctoral thesis: "Music and the Church under the Influence of the National Socialist Dictatorship in South Tyrol".

For him, music and pastoral work go hand in hand, as he said in 2019: "At least 50 percent of pastoral activity is music. When I visit people in nursing homes, we often sing together. This is more appreciated than just talking at people. The non-verbal elements are often neglected in the church."

So how does it continue? If the names are convincing in Rome, the Chur Cathedral Chapter receives a list of three, the so-called Terna. But there can be other names on it – the pope is not bound to the suggestions of the nuncio. The cathedral chapter must then elect one of the three candidates as bishop. After two recent deaths, it currently consists of 22 priests, the majority of them conservative.

The duration of the procedure is also unclear. Bishop Vitus Huonder (78) had offered his resignation in 2017 after reaching the age limit; Pope Francis accepted it in 2019. Since then, Bishop Pierre Burcher (74) has been leading the fate of the diocese as Apostolic Administrator on a transitional basis. A connoisseur of the diocese puts it this way: "In the end, things turn out quite differently."

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