German Catholics shaken by sexual abuse scandal linked to pope

Mar 16, 2010, 14:24 GMT

Munich - Catholics in Germany have been shaken by a wide-spread sexual abuse scandal, according to a survey released Tuesday, a day after a paedophile priest linked to the pope was suspended in the town of Freising.

The survey, conducted by German Press Agency dpa, showed that the revelations of abuse - dating back to the 1950s - had unsettled Catholics, but had not yet affected church membership figures.

Father Peter Hellermann was suspended on Monday, after a newspaper revealed that Pope Benedict XVI - then Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger - had permitted him to switch diocese in the 1980s, after being accused of sexually abusing children.

The archdiocese of Munich and Freising said that Hullermann, identified as H., had 'not kept to the conditions he was set after allegations of sexually abusing minors and a judicial conviction.'

The priest had been employed as a tourist councillor since 2008, and was barred from working with minors after a conviction in the year 1986.

'H. violated these conditions,' the archdiocese wrote in a statement, adding that there had been no new allegations of sexual abuse.

Hellermann's superior, prelate Josef Obermaier, also handed in his resignation, taking responsibility for 'serious errors,' in his capacity as supervisor.

A spokesman for the Bavarian diocese of Wurzburg said there had been 'strong reactions,' to the revelations of sexual abuse in church institutions. So far, more than 150 cases have emerged, with people coming forward on a daily basis.

In Berlin, reactions were mixed. 'Some of the church members are demanding that the cases are discussed far more, while others say there has been enough talk and it's time to draw a line,' said Stefan Forner of the Berlin diocese.

While there had not been a significant drop in church membership, procedural delays meant this could still change. 'We always get these figures with a time delay, normally four weeks later,' said a spokesman for the archdiocese of Hamburg.

In Germany, members pay a proportion of their tax to the Catholic or Protestant church, and need to register with the state authorities if they want to change their religious denomination or leave the church.