The aim of the survey, which has been current since Monday, is to investigate the actions, structures and consequences of abuse and to draw conclusions from the results for prevention, remembrance culture and protection against violence, as the diocese said.
The survey affected the years 1945 to 2024 and thus also the term of office of the current Bishop Heiner Wilmer. It has been at the head of the diocese since 2018.
Wilmer sees the survey as an opportunity to make the Church a safe and more sensitive place for all people, especially for children, young people and vulnerable adults. "Your feedback can help to understand and come to terms with past injustice", said the Bishop.
Voluntary and anonymous
According to the survey, the survey is aimed at people who currently live in the diocese or who have lived there or had previously lived there and have contact with church institutions and associations.
People who felt belonging to the diocese in another way are also called to participate. The minimum age is 16 years. A voluntary and anonymous answer to the questions should be answered until 26. October possible.
The online project is part of the third processing study of the Diocese of Hildesheim, which was already launched in April. Not only cases of abuse in church congregations are being examined, but also in church children's homes and schools.
In addition, life stories and coping strategies of those affected and their families are to become visible.
The research project, which costs around 1.6 million euros, are educational scientists, children's and youth psychologists as well as lawyers. They come from the Institute for Social Work in Münster, the Paediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry of the University Hospital Rostock, the legal research centre Socles in Heidelberg and the Institute of State and Philosophy of Law at the University of Freiburg.