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CATHOLIC CHURCH

Düsseldorf cardinal suspended after sexual harassment allegations

A prominent cardinal in Düsseldorf has reportedly been placed on leave due to an allegation that he sexually assaulted an adult clergyman in 2012.

Published: 20 March 2019 09:15 CET
Düsseldorf cardinal suspended after sexual harassment allegations
Cardinal Ulrich Hennes, pictured here in 2005. Image: DPA.

The same cardinal was reportedly reinstated by the church after undergoing 'therapy' following similar allegations in the 1990s.

Cardinal Ulrich Hennes, who serves as the city dean for Düsseldorf, has been suspended from his role due to sexual assault allegations. 

SEE ALSO: Germany's Catholic Church addresses child abuse scandal amid protests

Archbishop of Cologne Rainer Maria Woelki placed the cardinal on compulsory leave due to the pending allegations, with RP Online reporting that the man underwent a church-administered ‘therapy’ program in relation to the sexual molestation of a teenager in the 1990s. 

The report casts doubt on the effectiveness of the church’s ability to self regulate and prosecute allegations against clergymen, particularly as a report completed at the end of the therapy process found that the Cardinal could return to work “without conditions”. 

A spokesman for the church said that Hennes was “committed to therapy, which was then completed” in the 1990s, with the church deciding to reinstate him to his position.  

Hennes denied the allegations to RP Online, while also confirming that he was not a flight risk. “I am innocent”, he said. “I have no reason to flee (Düsseldorf)”. 

Archbishop of Cologne Rainer Maria Woelki. Image: DPA

Archbishop Woelki said that Hennes was entitled to the presumption of innocence, but sought to reaffirm the church’s commitment to tackle sexual misconduct in its ranks. 

“We do not tolerate any form of sexual assault and consistently follow the relevant instructions and suspected cases,” says Cardinal Woelki.

As reported by The Local in March, the Catholic Church in Germany promised to urgently confront sexual abuse scandals amid allegations that victims had been “stonewalled”. 

SEE ALSO: German Catholic Church apologizes as scale of child abuse laid bare

The guidelines of the German Bishops Conference require that members of the clergy be suspended for the duration of the process after allegations have been made. 

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Hennes was made city dean of Düsseldorf in 2016, a role which requires him to act as a representative of the bishop in the city. 

 

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CATHOLIC CHURCH

At least 3,000 paedophiles active in French church since 1950: report

Thousands of paedophiles have operated inside the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of an independent commission investigating the scandal told AFP, days ahead of the release of its report.

Published: 3 October 2021 09:16 CEST
French archbishop Cardinal Philippe Barbarin leads his last mass,on June 28, 2020. Barbarin was released on appeal on January 30 for his silence on the sexual abuse of a priest, and resigned quickly afterwards.
French archbishop Cardinal Philippe Barbarin leads his last mass,on June 28, 2020. Barbarin was released on appeal on January 30 for his silence on the sexual abuse of a priest, and resigned quickly afterwards. Photo: Jeff Pachoud/AFP

The commission’s research had uncovered between 2,900 and 3,200 paedophile priests or other members of the church, said Jean-Marc Sauve, adding that it was “a minimum estimate”.

The commission’s report is due to be released on Tuesday after two and a half years of research based on church, court and police archives, as well as interviews with witnesses.

The report, which Sauve said runs to 2,500 pages, will attempt to quantify both the number of offenders and the number of victims.

It will also look into “the mechanisms, notably institutional and cultural ones” within the Church which allowed paedophiles to remain, and will offer 45 proposals.

READ ALSO: 

The independent commission was set up in 2018 by the French Catholic Church in response to a number of scandals that shook the Church in France and worldwide.

Its formation also came after Pope Francis passed a landmark measure obliging those who know about sex abuse in the Catholic Church to report it to their superiors.

Made up of 22 legal professionals, doctors, historians, sociologists and theologians, its brief was to investigate allegations of child sex abuse by clerics dating back to the 1950s.

When it began its work it called for witness statements and set up a telephone hotline, then reported receiving thousands of messages in the months that followed.

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