The judgment on damages for pain and suffering against the Archdiocese of Cologne will have a signal effect. The Catholic Church in Germany is facing a wave of lawsuits.
The judgment should sound like thunder in the dioceses of the Catholic Church in Germany. A former altar boy who had been abused by a pastor in the 1970s was awarded 300,000 euros in compensation for pain and suffering.
The fact that the Catholic Church is being held institutionally liable should not come as a surprise. She has already voluntarily paid out more than 40 million euros in so-called “recognition benefits”. But what else?
Just the tip of the iceberg
For decades, sexual abuse was tolerated in their own ranks. Superiors looked the other way, covered him up. The structures made it far too easy for the perpetrators. 1,670 accused clergymen and above all: 3,677 abused minors have now been documented. And that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.
But how can their suffering be measured? Can such events be made up for with money at all? The Cologne judgment will have a signal effect on similar cases.
A heavy blow also financially
If it triggers a wave of lawsuits, the Catholic Church will be devastated not only morally, but soon financially as well. In times when she is trying to find a reform course in order to find social relevance again, this day is a raven black one.
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2023-06-13 15:14:30
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