Abuse allegations
Canon lawyers see the Hengsbach case as particularly dramatic
The Catholic Church is investigating allegations of abuse against the founding bishop of the Ruhr diocese and later Cardinal Franz Hengsbach (1910-1991). photo
© Achim Scheidemann/dpa
The Catholic Church is investigating “serious” allegations of abuse against the former Ruhr Bishop Hengsbach. The canon lawyer Thomas Schüller sees an “icon” as having been knocked off its pedestal.
The dioceses of Essen and Paderborn announced on Tuesday that they were investigating “serious” allegations of abuse against the Essen diocese founder Hengsbach. Among other things, he is said to have abused a 16-year-old girl during his time as auxiliary bishop in Paderborn. He is also accused of another attack in Essen in 1967. The investigations are ongoing.
“You can see the face of the Catholic Church”
Schüller said an “icon” had been knocked off its pedestal. “You see the face of the Catholic Church.” There will also be many critical questions about “what the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith did with its disciplinary department in Rome.” Here you can see a “learning curve that is far too late.”
The current bishop of Essen, Franz-Josef Overbeck, understood in a “long learning process” that his own church did not deal with such suspected cases appropriately and that the perpetrators were more likely to be believed, said the canon lawyer. Overbeck decided on the truth: “He’s taking a risk. He has to hold the diocese together afterwards.” And: “Stormy times are coming for him.”