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	German Bishops to Make Sex-abuse Compensation Offer Next Week Monsters and Critics September 22, 2010 http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1586594.php/German-bishops-to-make-sex-abuse-compensation-offer-next-week Fulda, Germany - Germany's Catholic bishops are to make an offer next week of financial compensation to victims of sex abuse by Catholic priests, the chairman of the bishops' conference said Thursday. The church has been rocked in several European nations this year by hundreds of allegations of abuse, some dating back 60 years. 'We favour a coordinated solution through the round table with the government,' said Archbishop Robert Zollitsch after the heads of Germany's 27 dioceses met in the central city of Fulda. He was referring to regular meetings between the government, welfare officials and Germany's churches on the crisis. 'We will present a proposal at the next meeting next week,' said Zollitsch, the conference chairman and archbishop of Freiburg. He said victims needed not only money but holistic help and recognition of their suffering. 'The number of those who want financial compensation as well is notably small. We refuse to let this all be reduced to its financial component,' Zollitsch said. Since the scandal broke in Germany in February, a national Catholic hotline has logged hundreds of complaints. The church has yet to issue statistics on abuse in Germany but officials have described cases of children and youths being fondled or sadistically beaten. In many cases it is too late to prosecute, or the offenders have died. In some cases children were raped. In neighbouring Belgium it has emerged that a bishop abused his own young nephew over several years. The bishops also approved stricter guidelines for Germany which require police to be routinely called when abuse is discovered. 'It is aimed at ensuring that sex abuse is prevented,' said the bishop in charge of the programme, Stephan Ackermann. 'The aim is to sensitize everyone in church work and empower them to recognize signs of sexual abuse and deal with it appropriately.'
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