State President Ilse Aigner has called for an independent investigation into the abuse scandal in the Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. “I ask myself the fundamental question of whether it is still possible for the church to do internal clarification itself,” said Aigner. “That has to be clarified independently. In all clarity,” emphasized the CSU politician. “Of course, this also includes an insight into the archives for the law enforcement agencies of the state.” Aigner also sees a need for discussion on the statute of limitations for sexual abuse: “There are no statutes of limitations for murder. Rightly so. And I think that this question needs to be discussed here too.”
A report by a law firm commissioned by the Archdiocese itself came to the conclusion that cases of sexual abuse in the diocese had not been dealt with appropriately for decades. The experts assume at least 497 victims and 235 alleged perpetrators as well as a significantly larger number of unreported cases. According to the Federal Ministry of Justice, there are now several dozen investigations by the Munich public prosecutor’s office after the revelations.
Aigner expects an apology from Pope Emeritus Benedict
“I am deeply shaken,” said Aigner about the extent of the deeds. “It puts the credibility of the church in doubt if such cases are not cleared up and if the cover-up clearly puts the protection of the perpetrator before the protection of the victim.” Aigner expects an apology from Pope Emeritus Benedict. She can understand that some communities in his home country want to review his honorary citizenship. “As sorry as I am personally,” said Aigner. “We were all very happy and proud when Benedict became our pope. Now the situation is tragic – I miss clear words from him, he should apologize.” Benedikt had admitted that he had made a false statement on a key point in the report. The reactions of those responsible so far are generally “still very cautious”, regretted Aigner. She calls for more speed in the church reform process of the synodal path. “It’s harmful that this route takes so long: the hut is on fire and the fire engine gets stuck and can’t extinguish it.” The head of the largest CSU district association in Upper Bavaria expects the bishops to be more willing to reform. But Aigner also said: “I spoke to all the Bavarian bishops and experienced very different perspectives: from very great openness to reforms to isolation in one’s own world.”
The SPD parliamentary group, meanwhile, calls for the creation of a Bavarian abuse commissioner, submitting an emergency request. “We have a duty to ensure that everything is cleared up and that preventive action is taken to prevent abuse in the future,” says parliamentary group leader Florian von Brunn. The parliamentary group’s church policy spokeswoman, Diana Stachowitz, wants to place the commissioner directly with the state parliament, he should report annually and, like the federal commissioner, set up an independent review commission.