According to an interim report published on Thursday, scientists from the University of Trier for the period from 1946 to 2021 have also identified 246 accused "who have been guilty of sexualized violence, as well as two other people exclusively for possession of child pornography."
The authors speak of a "bright field of abuse" - the actual numbers are likely to be higher.
The report is the third on the sexual abuse of children, adolescents and adults in the diocese. He is dedicated to the term of Bishop Reinhard Marx from 2001 to 2008 – since then he has been Archbishop of Munich and Freising – and that of the Bishop Stephan Ackermann, who is still in office today, in the period between 2009 and 2021.
For this time, 37 accused (21 under Marx, 16 under Ackermann) and at least 59 affected persons (35 under Marx, 24 under Ackermann) were identified.
Accusations against the bishops
Systematic errors and positive developments are found in both terms, the report said. "The duty of care for the perpetrators has been weighted higher than the public need for safety," the scientists said. They generally speak of failures in personnel management.
The authors also accuse the bishops of a lack of transparency: "In many cases, the media took over the enlightenment, which the diocese should have provided." Unprofessional, unsystematic file management and insufficient information transmission are also criticized.
But there are also positive developments. For example, the number of affected children and adolescents fell significantly during the investigation period. The risk for Catholic children to become victims of sexual assault has halved in the past three decades.
Since 2010, care for those affected has played a "central role in the context of institutional and individual reappraisal". Professional structures with contact persons and specialist committees were set up.
The scientists evaluated almost 1,300 volumes of files for their approximately 140-page report and held 30 conversations with those affected and other people.
The incumbent Bishop Ackermann wants to comment on the report in the afternoon.