Synodal Assembly
Regensburg Bishop Voderholzer outraged with statements on child abuse
Outraged with trivializing statements about child abuse cases in the church: Regensburg’s Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer feels misunderstood.
© Armin Weigel / Picture Alliance
Many believers are turning their backs on the church in horror. Nevertheless, the Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer still finds plenty of words to explain the countless cases of abuse. After he is met with indignation, he rows back.
One would think that after all the high profile child molestation cases in the church, any dignitary would choose their words carefully on the subject. Not so the conservative Bishop of Regensburg, Rudolf Voderholzer. During the synodal assembly in Frankfurt/Main, he made such comments on the more than sensitive subject that he was met with outrage.
In his speech, Voderholzer pointed out that a criminal law reform of 1973 no longer counted child abuse as a crime “on the basis of sexological judgments, which assume that the interrogations are much worse for the children and young people concerned than the basically harmless ones cases of abuse”. This must be taken into account when judging the behavior of the church in the 1970s and 80s, said Voderholzer.
Rudolf Voderholzer: Statements trigger horror
Several delegates sharply condemned Voderholzer’s statement. The Bochum theologian Matthias Sellmann said: “I am the father of three children and I am appalled when a bishop of the Catholic Church in Germany says here in public that the enlightening talks with children are worse than the harmless sexual abuse.”
Voderholzer then spoke again and assured that he had been misunderstood. He did not want to adopt the view that was widespread at the time. “I think the downplaying of sexual abuse is devastating,” he said.
Central Committee President welcomes “Declaration of Intent”
The President of the Central Committee of German Catholics and Chair of the Assembly, Irme Stetter-Karp, said: She was glad that he at least tried to explain his intentions. Otherwise, his request to speak would be “a violation of the limits of what we want to tolerate in terms of content,” said Stetter-Karp.