Thursday, March 14, 2024

Abuse investigation into religious orders is progressing slowly

According to a report, the investigation into sexual abuse in Catholic monasteries and religious orders in Germany continues to struggle with major difficulties. 

This emerges from the second activity report of a central advisory committee set up in 2022. 

According to the report, this committee has advised 15 religious orders on issues relating to coming to terms with the abuse over the past twelve months. 

Only some of the orders have already commissioned independent experts to carry out investigations.

The report has been published on the website of the German Conference of Religious Orders (DOK). 

According to the DOK, there are more than 400 legally independent communities, abbeys and individual monasteries throughout Germany.

Problems finding suitable reappraisal teams

According to the report, one of the problems is finding suitable reappraisal teams. 

For some professionally qualified experts and institutions, the scope of the commission is not interesting enough from an academic point of view to apply for a tender. 

In addition, many religious communities do not have sufficient funds to pay for such studies.

In discussions with the committee, those affected had expressed great dissatisfaction with the work of some independent contact persons for suspected cases in the respective religious orders. 

They were said to lack empathy and commitment to the concerns of those affected. 

Previous employment of such contact persons in the church cast doubt on their independence, it said.

Nonetheless, the advisory committee attests to the communities it supports an "intensive reflection process". 

They should continue to be supported on their way to involving those affected and implementing effective protection concepts.