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Berlin / Cologne (dpa) - The spokesman for the victims' association “Eckiger Tisch”, Matthias Katsch, has called on the Archbishop of Cologne to resign in connection with the processing of cases of abuse.
"He would have to have the courage to step back," said Katsch on Friday evening in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
In dealing with both those affected and the public, as well as with the specific case that he was accused of, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki was so damaged that he could actually no longer exercise his office.
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki asked for forgiveness on Thursday evening after his sermon in Cologne Cathedral.
«What those affected by sexual violence and you in the last days and weeks before Christmas in connection with the handling of the report on dealing with sexualised violence in our archdiocese, what you had to endure the criticism about it and especially the criticism of me personally - I beg your pardon for all that. "
"He is not sorry for what he did wrong, but that he is criticized for it," said Katsch as an apology for Woelkis in the Christmas mass.
The archbishop is actually trying to hold the believers in joint liability and appealing to the herd instinct.
But neither the church nor the believers would be attacked.
“It's about his wrongdoing,” he emphasizes.
"And I think it's really perfidious how he hides behind those affected and now tries to hide behind the believers in his diocese."
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The cardinal has been criticized for keeping an expert opinion on sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Cologne under lock and key because of "methodological deficiencies".
Instead, he commissioned a new report to be published in March.
In addition, allegations of cover-up were raised after it became known that Woelki had not passed the allegation of child abuse against a priest to Rome at the time.
Recording Domradio
DW interview with Katsch