GERMANY
IOL (South Africa)
March 24 2014
By SAPA
Berlin – Germany’s Roman Catholic Church on Monday launched a new study into sexual abuse by clergy after a first attempt involving criminologists ended in acrimony last year.
The probe will be carried out by four research institutes, the German Bishops’ Conference said, with the aim of shedding light on a scandal that has shaken the Church to its foundations.
The Conference’s commissioner for investigating abuse cases, the bishop of the western city of Trier, Stephan Ackermann, said the study sought “clarity and transparency about this dark side of our Church”.
He told reporters that the attempt to understand the prevalence of sexual abuse of youths by clergy was “for the sake of the victims but also in order to see the mistakes for ourselves and do everything we can to ensure they are not repeated.”
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