As the Order announced on Wednesday, a research team from Jena and Munich will investigate cases from the years 1945 to 2023 in Community institutions.
Through an online platform, those affected and contemporary witnesses can share their experiences – anonymously on request.
The investigation takes two years.
It consists of a church-historical analysis and a psychosocial study. An interdisciplinary advisory board accompanies the project. Those affected also belong to the Advisory Board.
Requirements of the processing
The study is based on existing reports from those affected. In addition, the researchers evaluate historical documents. For this, they have unrestricted access to the archives of the Order.
The study will also review the previous prevention measures of the Order.
With the study, the Order implements guidelines for the processing of sexualized violence in German religious communities.
The Salesians Don Boscos (SDB) are a male order of the Catholic Church with around 14,000 members in 135 countries.
The Order was founded by the Italian priest and educator Johannes Bosco (1815–1888).
The German Province has about 180 members of the Order.
They work at around 30 locations in Germany, German-speaking Switzerland and Turkey together with about 2,000 employees and numerous volunteers.