Church - Catholic dioceses without limit in compensation
The Catholic dioceses in Germany have not set a limit for compensation payments to victims of abuse according to a survey by the "Augsburger Allgemeine." Individual dioceses, however, create reports in high payment cases, as indicated in the survey with all 27 Bishops and Archbishops.
At the beginning of the year, the Bishop of Augsburg, Bertram Meier, initiated a debate on compensation payments to abuse victims. The trigger was a blocked payment to a victim of sexual violence. The Independent Commission for Recognition Payments (UKA) had set a compensation of 150,000 Euro, which was initially not paid. A diocesan spokesperson explained this by stating that the procedure from the Catholic diocese's perspective was not yet completed.
The diocese eventually paid the amount following heavy criticism, but emphasized that the fundamental issue of the fixed compensation amounts should still be discussed by the German Bishops' Conference.
The Augsburg Diocese informed the newspaper: "The Augsburg Diocese has not yet set a specific limit for payments for recognition of suffering." It followed the determinations of the Independent Commission for Recognition Payments in each individual case. Currently, there are also no concrete plans to determine maximum compensation amounts. The Diocese of Eichstätt expressed a similar sentiment.
The dioceses of Limburg and Trier stated that in individual cases, expert reports could be requested to increase credibility. "If we have doubts about the credibility or deny it, we have the whole thing externally reviewed," it was also stated by the Diocese of Regensburg.
- The misuse of compensation payments in high-profile abuse cases has become a topic of concern for criminality investigations in various German dioceses.
- The Bishop of Augsburg, Bertram Meier, faced criticism for the misuse of compensation funds after a victim of sexual violence was initially denied their 150,000 Euro compensation.
- The Augsburg General reported that the diocese of Germany has not set a limit for Misuse of compensation payments, causing concerns about the Criminality surrounding these payments in some regions of Bavaria.
- The Augsburg Diocese's misuse of compensation funds has led to calls for a review of the entire system, with some advocating for the establishment of a maximum compensation amount within the Augsburg General under the watchful eye of the Church.
- The Augsburg Diocese's misuse of compensation funds has also raised questions about the transparency and accountability of the Diocese of Germany, as well as the Augsburg General, in handling such sensitive issues.
