In the Diocese of Aachen there are five new, independent contact persons for victims of sexual abuse following the publication of an abuse report. In the future, employees will be the first point of contact for those affected and their relatives.
The Aachen diocese announced this on Wednesday. They held counseling interviews and provided support with any procedures. The experts are assigned to the specialist department for prevention and intervention.
Further steps are to follow
“I very much welcome the extraordinary commitment of the new contact persons and am in close professional exchange with everyone,” said the intervention officer Helmut Keymer. The diocese is also planning to set up an advisory council for those affected this year and an independent processing commission.
Accusation of “undeserved leniency”
The abuse report by the Munich law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) for the diocese of Aachen was published in November. It accuses former leaders, including former bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff (80) and his vicar general Manfred von Holtum (76), of “undeserved leniency” towards clergy suspected and convicted of abuse.
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