In Germany, dioceses sent priests suspected of abuse abroad
Catholic dioceses in Germany have sent priests facing allegations of sexual abuse abroad in at least 47 cases. Some of them continued to have access to children after their transfers, according to the investigation.
This was reported in an ARD Radiofeature investigation published by Tagesschau.
“German dioceses have sent priests facing allegations of sexual abuse abroad in at least 47 cases,” the report states.
The data was obtained from a survey of 27 Catholic dioceses. The publication states that in 20 cases, church leadership was aware of the allegations even before the priests were transferred. In other cases, the dioceses stated that they did not have the relevant information at the time or could not find it in their archives.
The study did not include priests who were sent abroad by religious orders.
Attorney Bettina Jansen, who participated in several investigations into cases of abuse commissioned by the Catholic Church, called this practice systemic. According to her, “assignments abroad took place despite known problems,” and an international network of Catholic organizations made it possible to get rid of “problematic” priests in Germany and cover up the allegations.
Reportedly, one of the cases uncovered involved the transfer of the former director of the Catholic boarding school Aufseesianum from Bamberg to a German parish in Namibia after he was accused of sexually abusing a child. The Archdiocese of Bamberg confirmed that the church leadership at the time was aware of the allegations but agreed to transfer the priest abroad instead of reporting the matter to law enforcement. The diocese called this decision “improper conduct” and stated that under current regulations, such an approach would be impossible.
In one case in the Diocese of Eichstätt, an arrest warrant was issued for a priest after the parents of five schoolgirls reported sexual harassment and rape. Church officials knew that the man was wanted by Interpol but concealed his whereabouts. He managed to flee and continued his missionary work abroad.
According to the survey results, priests facing such allegations were most often sent to South America—20 such cases were recorded. The earliest case dates back to the Nazi era, while the most recent ones occurred in the 2010s.
The German Bishops’ Conference confirmed that there are “a significant number of cases” in which church authorities in Germany helped send individuals accused of or having committed sexual abuse abroad.
Source: Tagesschau
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