Sex abuse scandal a ‘challenge’ for German society

CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel called the sex abuse scandal rocking the homeland of Pope Benedict XVI a major challenge to German society and warned the only way to come to terms with it was to “find out everything that has happened”.

Speaking out yesterday for the first time since allegations of abuse at a school linked to Berlin’s Roman Catholic Church initially surfaced in January, Merkel suggested compensation for victims and considering an extension on the current statute of limitations for filing claims against abusers.

Many of a wave of more than 300 allegations – more than half at Church-run schools – happened in the 1960s or 1970s and cannot be prosecuted.

“I think that we all agree that sexual abuse of minors is a despicable crime and the only way for our society to come to terms with it is to look for the truth and find out everything that has happened,” Merkel told parliament. “The damage suffered by the victims can never fully be repaired.”

Merkel’s remarks come amid growing impatience from Germany’s Catholics for the Pope to address the scandal here. In his native state of Bavaria alone, more than 100 former Catholic students have come forward with claims of physical or sexual abuse.

A spokesman for Germany’s Roman Catholic Church said yesterday the pontiff could mention Germany later this week in conjunction with his expected letter to Irish Catholics.

“We certainly cannot rule out that he will use this opportunity to address the situation in Germany; it is his homeland,” Karl Juesten told the ARD broadcaster yesterday.

While the Catholic Church has been at the heart of the German scandal, other boarding schools have also been implicated and Merkel stressed that it was important not to point fingers.

“Let’s not oversimplify things. We need to speak about the statute of limitations, we can address the idea of compensation, but the main issue is that this is a major challenge for our society,” Merkel said.

The chancellor’s ministers for justice, family affairs and education have called for a round table that would include Catholic Church representatives, to meet in April.

On the agenda would be an examination of whether to extend the statute of limitations.

Currently a victim must contact investigators within 10 years of their 18th birthday to trigger criminal proceedings; to claim damages in civil proceedings a victim typically has only three years.

Meanwhile, eight new victims have contacted the Vienna Boys’ Choir after reports that members suffered sex abuse for years.

It said the men range in age from about 40 to over 70 and used a confidential hot line set up last Friday after a local newspaper reported that two former members, both now adults, said they were abused.

The choir is not church-affiliated. Many boys live in dormitories while singing away from their families. They also travel frequently.

The choir said it was taking the allegations seriously. In an open letter to parents, choir members and alumni dated March 12 it said that “this kind of abuse, even if it took place in the past, constitutes an injustice that we deeply regret and that we must and want to face”.

The allegations coincide with a string of abuse claims against members of Austria’s Catholic Church.