Bishop promises to come to terms with sexual abuse
Berlin Bishop Christian Stäblein has promised a complete investigation into cases of sexual abuse in the church. "Nothing else can be done, nothing can be saved, especially not lost trust," he said on Thursday at a meeting of the regional synod of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) in the capital. "We know that."
According to him, cases of sexualized violence and abuse by ministers are a concern for the Protestant Church. "Because every case is too many, every single one is unbearable," says Stäblein. "And first and foremost, because there are people who have experienced suffering, trauma and pain at the hands of employees of this church that will not go away."
Bishop believes the church has a responsibility
According to the bishop, there are moments when talking about repentance is out of the question. "You have to do it. See the suffering, the pain that has been inflicted. People have to see and say: we take responsibility today for what happened. We have a responsibility to come to terms with this and to draw the necessary conclusions."
For years, the Catholic and Protestant churches in Germany have been shaken by countless cases of abuse that have gradually come to light and extend over decades right up to the present day. In many cases, they were covered up for a long time. According to Stäblein, the Protestant church has taken various measures to clarify the events, acknowledge the suffering of the victims and help them. He mentioned laws, a recognition commission, an appeal to those affected and a participation forum.
New abuse study expected in January
The results of a scientific study are expected in January: based on the evaluation of specific cases in the 20 Protestant regional churches, it will deal with the conditions and structures of sexualized violence in the church. The results will then also be widely discussed in the EKBO, said Stäblein. "This is all urgently needed and overdue."
There are around 1100 parishes in the EKBO, mainly in Berlin and Brandenburg, but also in the Saxon district of Görlitz. The regional church has around 830,000 members. As in other Protestant regional churches and also in the Catholic Church, the trend has been declining for many years. The church parliament of the EKBO is meeting in Berlin-Friedrichshain until Saturday.
The Bishop's promise of a comprehensive investigation into sexual abuse is a response to the widespread concern within the Church about religion-related crimes and abuse. Regrettably, these instances of sexualized violence and mistreatment by religious leaders have caused immense suffering, trauma, and pain for countless individuals.
Source: www.dpa.com
