Agency Report –
A survivor of sexual abuse from a convicted German priest saw her claim for compensation rejected by a court in the western city of Cologne on Tuesday, prompting fury from a survivors’ network.
The Cologne Regional Court dismissed the 58-year-old’s claim for €830,000 ($977,700) in damages from the Archdiocese of Cologne.
The court found that the archdiocese could not be held liable for the abuse as the priest – who was was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2022 – acted “more or less as a private individual” and not in the exercise of his public office.
Furthermore, there was no evidence of misconduct on the part of the archdiocese, the court ruled.
The ruling was met with dismay by a representative of a victims’ support network.
Matthias Katsch, from the Square Table initiative, told dpe he was “appalled” by the case.
“This judgement is a blow for all those affected who have placed their hopes in the rule of law,” he said.
The ruling shows an ignorance of how comprehensive priesthood is interpreted in the Catholic Church, he argued. Or else, it shows “bias for this old, venerable institution here in Cologne.”
Katsch said he was “quite angry about this argument and about the callousness of the reasoning.”
