A German Catholic political leader said Monday that the credibility of the Catholic Church was "seriously undermined" by the pedophilia cases in Germany, asking the Pope and the Church more honesty."The credibility of the Church is seriously undermined," said on public television channel ZDF vice president of German parliament, Wolfgang Thierse, as a member of the Central Committee of German Catholics, who represents the interests of Catholics in society.
"The consternation of believers is huge," he said, expressing sympathy to the debate on mandatory celibacy of priests is restarted.
According to him, "the Church must be more honest and strict with herself and this applies also to the Pope," blamed Friday for having hosted in 1980 a priest suspected of pedophilia when he headed the Archdiocese of Munich (southern Germany).
Thierse said that "a work of explanation and a sincere discussion of the consequences" of these sexual abuse cases would have been better for the victims than financial compensation.
"I am not sure that material compensation are crucial, he said, I think it helps more victims in dealing more openly with these crimes."
Currently, Thierse said he is not aware of any "unsubscribe in Catholic schools in Berlin" but argued that it would remain "stable only if the Catholic Church makes a work of sincere explanation."
The German Catholic Church was rocked since late January by pedophilia scandals, affecting even the small chorus of singers of Regensburg, led for 30 years by the pope's brother Msgr Georg Ratzinger.
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