"Examine steps": EKD Council Chair Kurschus under pressure
Following allegations of sexually abusive behavior against a former church employee, EKD Council Chairwoman Annette Kurschus has also come under pressure. The Siegen public prosecutor's office is investigating several suspected cases against the man, who, like Kurschus, used to work in the Siegen church district.
According to a spokesperson for the German Press Agency, it is unclear at this stage of the investigation whether there is any criminally relevant behavior. Kurschus was a pastor in the church district in the 1990s. She did not work in the same congregation as the accused and was not his superior, as a spokesperson for the Westphalian regional church office explained to dpa on Friday.
The "Siegener Zeitung" had quoted the testimony of two men who claimed to have "informed Kurschus in detail about the abuse allegations" in the 1990s. According to the newspaper, both had submitted a written statement.
Chairwoman of the EKD Council rejects accusations
At the synod meeting in Ulm, the EKD Council Chairwoman emphatically rejected "insinuations and speculation" in the Siegener Zeitung newspaper. At the beginning of 2023, an anonymous complaint was received against the person now accused. "Before that, I had no knowledge of any acts of sexualized violence by this person," she emphasized in a personal statement.
A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office told Die Welt that it had "not yet become known that physical violence, threats or threats of beatings or anything else were used to subdue people". However, the term sexualized violence can also be understood in a broader sense to mean transgressions of a sexual nature, not just criminal acts.
Assessment by the Sexualized Violence Participation Forum
The EKD's Sexualized Violence Participation Forum has now also spoken out on the case and distanced itself from Kurschus. The committee for dealing with acts of abuse within the EKD and Diakonie is made up of victims and church representatives.
"We are extremely concerned that the EKD Council Chairwoman's account differs from that of other people on a crucial issue," emphasized the participation forum. "The current reporting calls Ms. Kurschus' credibility into question." This should not be allowed to damage all the efforts of the Participation Forum: "A clear, complete and independent investigation is needed in this case."
The committee's statement reads: "As a matter of principle, the statements of those affected by sexualized violence must be believed and not called into question in any way." Kurschus has stated that she supports the investigation by the law enforcement authorities in the Siegen case.
"It is her responsibility as Chair of the Council of the EKD to seriously consider any further steps personally." When asked by dpa, the spokesperson for the Participation Forum, Nancy Janz, did not want to speak of a demand for her resignation.
What happens next
The public prosecutor's office is investigating whether the former employee took advantage of his "somewhat prominent position" to sexually approach young men in his environment. According to previous findings, none of those involved were underage at the time of the alleged offense, the spokesperson told dpa.
The Siegener Zeitung reported that there are now also indications in the case that one of the victims was presumably underage, as the public prosecutor's office has confirmed. The spokesperson for the authorities was initially unavailable for comment when asked by dpa.
- The investigation by the Siegen public prosecutor's office also involves suspected cases of abuse against a former church employee who previously worked in the same district as Annette Kurschus, the Chairwoman of the EKD Council.
- The Siegen church district is not where Annette Kurschus served as a pastor in the 1990s; she and the accused worked in different congregations.
- The EKD's Sexualized Violence Participation Forum has expressed concern over discrepancies in Kurschus' account regarding abuse allegations and called for a thorough, independent investigation.
- Annette Kurschus, the Chairwoman of the EKD Council, has supported the investigation into alleged abuse by a former church employee and acknowledged the responsibility to consider further steps personally.
Source: www.dpa.com
