Catholic Church
Abuse officers in the diocese of Augsburg throw down
The Augsburg Bishop Bertram Meier. photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
The “Eckiger Tisch” initiative for those affected speaks of a unique event: two abuse commissioners from the Catholic diocese of Augsburg announce their resignation – and find clear words.
The tasks of the abuse officers included accepting reports of cases of abuse, carrying out an initial assessment of their plausibility and informing those affected about assistance.
Experts: There is no real desire to clarify the matter
“Unfortunately, to this day I have not been able to recognize that the process of dealing with sexual abuse in the diocese of Augsburg, which Bishop Bertram Meier once described as his “matter of the heart”, is being pursued with the necessary seriousness and genuine desire to educate,” the “Augsburger Allgemeine” quoted a letter from the two experts to the diocese leadership. Hauser told the newspaper, among other things, that they had not been given access to the personal files of accused clerics.
The diocese of Augsburg regretted the resignation in a statement published on the diocese’s homepage and thanked Hauser and Membarth “for the extraordinarily demanding work they have done so far.” The step is surprising for the diocese.
The diocese referred to the “new data protection hurdles” and emphasized that these affect all German dioceses. According to the diocese, according to the law on church data protection (KDG), a written agreement on the distribution of tasks should have been concluded. Hauser and Membarth were informed about this several times, but offers to talk were in vain. Furthermore, the diocese is “not aware of any case in which access to the files was refused”.
Lack of willingness to educate? Diocese rejects accusation
“However, the diocese firmly rejects the allegation that the diocese of Augsburg lacks a genuine, proactive desire to provide information. Every individual case is taken very seriously and meticulously handled by the responsible people,” the diocese said.
The Augsburg diocese’s third abuse commissioner, Andreas Hatzung, regretted the resignation of his colleagues in the “Augsburger Allgemeine”, but also said that he could essentially understand the step. “I still see myself as being able to carry out my role as an independent contact person.”