Freiburg (dpa / lsw) – The Freiburg report on sexual abuse by clergy has led to visible consequences at Archbishop Stephan Burger’s seat: the portraits of his predecessors Robert Zollitsch (84) and Oskar Saier were taken down. The diocese leadership decided on Thursday, said a spokesman for the archdiocese in Freiburg. It is hoped that this step will have a “signal effect”. The affected advisory board of the archdiocese had called for such an approach. The independent body supports those affected.
Not only the pictures of Zollitisch and Saier are now missing. The portraits of all incumbents since the 19th century are therefore no longer on display. The form of the presentation was no longer up to date, it said. The large archdiocese with around 1.8 million Catholics is relatively young – it was founded in 1821.
The abuse report published on Tuesday shows that Zollitsch’s term in office until 2013 was characterized by “concrete cover-up behavior”. The high clergyman had a prominent role, because from February 2008 to March 2014 he was also chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference.
The authors of the independent study are also extremely critical of the behavior of Zollitsch’s predecessor, Saier. He was in office from 1978 to 2002. The spokesman for the archdiocese said that a decision had yet to be made as to how, for example, the name of the Oskar Saier house in the Black Forest town of Kirchzarten, which was run by Caritas, would be used. After his death in 2008, Saier was buried in the Freiburg bishop’s crypt. A debate is also expected as to whether his remains should remain there.
One author of the report said that as archbishop at the time, Zollitsch had omitted everything that would have been required by canon law. Actually obligatory reports of abuse cases to Rome were omitted. The 84-year-old admitted serious mistakes and personal guilt in a video in October. Even before publication, Zollitsch had announced through a spokesman that he did not want to comment on the final report.
The public prosecutor’s office in the Black Forest metropolis has meanwhile announced that it wants to examine the abuse report. Among other things, it is about the question of whether there is an initial suspicion against certain people. “Given the size of the report, this will take some time.” Since the publication of the approximately 600-page study, no criminal charges against Zollitsch and other responsible persons have become known or have been received, a spokesman said on request.
There are no clear statutes of limitations for the offense of sexual abuse, since the legal situation has changed several times in the past. It must therefore be clarified in each individual procedure whether actions are statute-barred or not. In general, preliminary investigations can only be initiated if there are indications of criminal offenses.
The neighboring Alsatian Archdiocese of Strasbourg is also being shaken by turbulence. The Strasbourg Archbishop Luc Ravel (65) submitted his resignation to the Pope after allegations of authoritarian leadership, as announced by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in France.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:230420-99-389593/3
