Report unlocks over 400 cases of abuse in Catholic diocese

Admin I Wednesday, October 02, 2024

 

OSNABRUCK – A detailed report on sexualized violence in the Catholic diocese of Osnabrück in Germany has identified more than 400 victims since 1945.

“It is clear that there is a large dark field – the highest estimate is 10 times this number,” legal scholar Hans Schulte-Nölke said on Wednesday while presenting the final report.

During this period, around 3,000 clerics were employed in the diocese. Of these, 4.1% have been accused of wrongdoing.

This figure corresponds to the findings in other dioceses in Germany and abroad, said Schulte-Nölke. The alleged acts cover the entire spectrum of sexualized violence, including allegations of serious sexual offences.

The study was commissioned by the Diocese of Osnabrück but conducted by academics from the University of Osnabrück. The university’s president, Susanne Menzel-Riedl, stressed that the diocese had no influence over the work of the researchers.

An initial interim report was presented two years ago, and revealed a number of mistakes made by the diocese in dealing with sexualized violence.

As a result of the report, the then-bishop of Osnabrück, Franz-Josef Bode, resigned from his post.