German bishops set up system for larger sex abuse payments
The Catholic Church in Germany is setting up a new system to compensate survivors of sexual abuse by clergy that will provide for payments ranging up to about $58,400 per person
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Catholic Church in Germany is setting up a new system to compensate survivors of sexual abuse by clergy that will provide for payments of up to about 50,000 euros ($58,400) each.
Victims will be able to apply for payments under the new system starting Jan. 1, the head of the German Bishops Conference, Limburg Bishop Georg Baetzing, said Thursday after conference members signed off at a regular twice-yearly meeting on details of a proposal approved in March.
The Catholic Church church has been shaken in recent years by sex abuse and cover-up scandals in several countries, including Germany, the homeland of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.
A church-commissioned report in 2018 concluded that at least 3,677 people were abused by clergy in Germany between 1946 and 2014. More than half of the victims were ages 13 or younger when the abuse took place, and nearly a third of them were altar boys. A top bishop has apologized for the abuse.
The level of compensation will be based on the awards from court judgments and verdicts in comparable cases and oriented toward the “upper region” of those payments, Baetzing said, meaning “a framework of up to 50,000 euros.”
“These are one-time payments that will be set individually by an independent body for every person affected who makes an application,” he added.
The compensation-setting body will include medical, psychological, legal and educational experts who do not work for the church, the bishop said. Its members are to be appointed by a committee whose majority is from outside the church.
Under the previous system, people could apply for church compensation in Germany for “payments in recognition of suffering.” Payments under that system have averaged about 5,000 euros ($5823) since 2011.
Baetzing said individuals who already received one of those payments will be able to reapply under the new system. As with the existing procedures, victims will be able to seek reimbursement for the costs of therapy or couples counseling.
The new guidelines did not satisfy victims' representatives when they were unveiled in March. They fell short of a recommendation presented to the bishops by an independent working group last year for payments ranging to up to 300,000 ($349,000) or 400,000 euros ($465,400) per person.