Würzburg (dpa / lby) – An expert from Wiesbaden is to prepare an expert opinion on sexual abuse in the Diocese of Würzburg between 1945 and 2019. This was announced by the independent commission for the processing of such crimes in the diocese on Tuesday. Among other things, the report is intended to clarify as far as possible how many cases of abuse there were during this period and how it was dealt with in the diocese. With the help of the findings, the Commission intends to lay the foundations for preventive measures to be taken in the future to prevent acts of abuse as far as possible and to better protect potential victims.
In addition, in the first quarter of next year, a whistleblower system is to be launched on the Internet, “in which, in particular, previously undiscovered acts of abuse can be made anonymous and disclosed while comprehensively protecting the personal rights of those affected”.
The system should be accessible via the website of the expert, lawyer Hendrik Schneider (www.hendrikschneider.eu), or via the Commission’s website (www.ukam-wue.de).
The independent commission – consisting of seven members – started its work in June 2021. The members elected Anja Amend-Traut as chairperson. She holds the chair for German and European legal history, canon law and civil law at the University of Würzburg.
The German Bishops’ Conference has asked all 27 dioceses to set up such commissions.
