Since the presentation of the report on sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, dozens of other suspected victims have come forward. The archdiocese’s independent contact persons for examining suspected cases counted 51 new reports by the beginning of June, as the diocese announced at the request of the German Press Agency in Munich. “This includes different allegations, including border violations or others,” said a diocese spokesman.
The report commissioned by the diocese from a Munich law firm caused a worldwide sensation when it was presented in January. The study assumes at least 497 victims and 235 alleged perpetrators – and a much larger number of unreported cases. The report accused the former Archbishops Friedrich Wetter and Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, of personal misconduct in several cases – as did the current Archbishop, Cardinal Reinhard Marx.
After the sensational report, the archdiocese has increased the offers of help for those affected. The contact and advice center set up by the diocese immediately after the report was presented has received 288 calls so far (as of October 20). “However, it is not just about those affected by sexual abuse,” said the diocese spokesman. According to the information, many calls also came from other dioceses.
The civil declaratory action of a man who claims to have been abused by the convicted abuser Priest H., whose case plays a central role in the report, is pending at the district court in Traunstein. Because Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was Archbishop of Munich and Freising, when Priest H. was transferred to the diocese, the lawsuit is also directed against him.