TRIER (GERMANY)
Aussiedlerbote [Berlin DE]
July 5, 2024
By Melissa Williams
The diocese of Trier reports on the status of the processing and prevention of sexual abuse. There are some interesting figures.
Sexual abuse – Diocese of Trier pays almost 500,000 euros to victims
The Diocese of Trier paid nearly 500,000 Euro in compensation for victims of sexual abuse last year. According to the “Annual Report 2023 Prevention – Intervention – Reconciliation” presented in Trier, there were 26 requests for recognition of suffering granted. Among them were several so-called hard cases, where victims each received sums of 50,000 Euro or more.
Since the revelation of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in 2010, the Diocese of Trier has paid out a total of 2.7 million Euro in compensation. The report, the second of its kind in the Diocese of Trier, also lists therapy costs for victims: These amounted to a total of approximately 143,000 Euro, of which almost 37,000 Euro were incurred in 2023.
Further victims come forward: The report reveals that nine new applications for recognition of suffering due to sexual violence were submitted in 2023. All the accused, who had all passed away, were eight parish priests and one religious priest. With the exception of one case (2001), all allegations related to crimes committed in the last century, particularly in the 60s and 70s.
Learning for the future
With the annual report, the Diocese of Trier wants to present measures for prevention and combating sexual violence transparently to the outside world and take responsibility for where it stands in the processing of its “homework,” as Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier stated in a press release. “We want to learn from the past for our future actions,” he added. The suggestions of the independent investigation commission in the Diocese of Trier will be worked on consequently.
“It’s about contributing to ensuring that the risk of an uncritical view of authorities and a culture of looking away born of uncertainty cannot gain a foothold again,” the prevention officers of the Diocese stated. Since 2012, according to the report, a total of about 29,000 people have been trained in the Diocese of Trier in terms of prevention. The Diocese of Trier has approximately 1.2 million Catholics in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
According to the report, the crisis team dealt with ten allegations of abuse by living clergy or employees in parishes and institutions of the Diocese last year. Three allegations referred to current cases from 2020 onwards, while the others were older. Six cases were reported to the public prosecutor’s office, three of which were dropped in the same year.
- The Diocese of Trier, located in Rhineland-Palatinate, has faced sexual abuse allegations, prompting it to pay compensation to several victims from Saarland as well.
- The Catholic Church in Trier, following the 2010 sexual abuse scandal, has been actively working towards prevention, offering training to over 29,000 individuals since 2012.
- The annual report in Trier revealed that nine new cases of sexual abuse, all involving deceased priests, were reported last year, with the majority of allegations stemming from the 60s and 70s.
- The Diocese of Trier, as part of its transparency initiative, has been actively addressing sexual abuse prevention and reconciliation by cooperating with the independent investigation commission’s suggestions.
- In addition to compensation paid for victims of sexual abuse amounting to nearly 500,000 Euro in 2023, the report also disclosed therapy costs, totaling around 143,000 Euro.