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Munich / Cologne (dpa / lby) - A new report on sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising should not be published until spring of this year at the earliest.
There is no date yet, said a diocese spokesman at the request of the German press agency.
"Nothing will be done before spring either, as the pandemic situation - as in all areas - makes it even more difficult here."
Almost a year ago, in February 2020, the diocese announced that it would commission a new external abuse report that would investigate the years 1945 to 2019 and also be published - unlike last time.
Because almost eleven years ago, Munich was the first German diocese to have an external report on sexual abuse and physical violence drawn up, but it was never published.
The so-called "Westphal Report" has been a great mystery ever since.
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The basis of the new expert opinion should be the results of that time as well as all new files from 2010 to the end of 2019. The examination of possible perpetrators will be extended by clerics in particular to further full-time employees from 2010 - also to religious working for the archbishopric.
This time, too, the law firm Westpfahl Spilker und Wastl should be in charge.
This law firm recently also wrote an opinion on the Archdiocese of Cologne, which Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki does not want to publish.
His reasoning: The study has significant methodological deficiencies and is "not legally valid".
The law firm denies the allegations.
The Archdiocese of Munich then requested a statement from the office, but then saw no reason to end the cooperation.
The report on the Archdiocese of Cologne should go tough with those responsible for the diocese.
It has already become known that today's Archbishop of Hamburg, Stefan Heße, is being viewed critically.
He rejects the allegations.
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The Munich vicar general Christoph Klingan had promised in February of last year that the examination should extend to the top of the church.
"That then also affects all archbishops, all those responsible for this period without distinction," said Klingan at the time.
One of Marx's predecessors from 1977 to 1982 was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict emeritus.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210124-99-146931 / 2
Press release Archdiocese of Cologne
Report on the quality of the Munich report