Abuse has long been considered a problem in the Catholic Church. Now, a comprehensive study is shedding light on sexual violence among Protestants in Germany. The estimated number of perpetrators is high.
Sexual violence and abuse also in the Protestant Church in Germany: A study of sexualized violence in the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Diakonie documented at least 2,225 victims and 1,259 suspected perpetrators in recent decades. However, this is just the “tip of the tip of the iceberg,” study leader Martin Wazlawik of the Hannover University of Applied Sciences said on Thursday.
“I would ask that you take this into consideration when sorting through the numbers and findings,” Wazlawik continued. Those affected called for more efforts to be made in dealing with cases and structures – also with the help of the State. “We need the State to take responsibility here. Because it has been shown repeatedly that the church is not a counterpart for those affected,” said Katharina Kracht, representative of those affected and member of the advisory board of the research association. External experts and complaints bodies are needed; processing is the supreme discipline. From their point of view, regional churches lack competence and probably also lack interest in actually uncovering cases. “If such investigations are not carried out, the perpetrators will remain undetected.”
Assessment of disciplinary processes
The case number of 2,225 affected people determined in the study is based on files from regional churches and diaconia, and known cases from regional churches and diaconal organizations were also included. However, scientists were unable to evaluate all the personal files of all pastors and deacons, but especially the disciplinary files. Based on their method, experts arrived at an estimated total of 3,497 defendants. However, the numbers presented “significantly underestimate” the extent, Wazlawik said. EKD began the study in 2020.
» “The numbers in no way suggest a smaller number of accused in the Protestant church and in the diakonia.”«
Study Director Martin Wazlawik
Wazlawik emphasized that “no comparisons” could be made with the Catholic Church or other institutions. The numbers would not suggest a smaller number of those accused in the Protestant Church. A study published in 2018 on sexualized violence in the Catholic Church concluded: After evaluating almost 40,000 personal files from the period between 1945 and 2014, 1,670 Catholic priests and deacons were accused, to which 3,677 children and young people could be attributed as affected. At the time, scientists emphasized that the number was “a lower estimate.”
Although the study comes late, it is important for those affected because they were included in the investigation, Kracht said. However, she criticized the fact that the Protestant Church could have acted a long time ago. The study can therefore be just a start. “If the EKD now wants to retreat back to the sidelines until the Synod, it will be a huge disappointment for many people affected.” There should be no more wasted time. “It’s enough, it’s been long enough.”
In her case, she had to wait years for an explanation. Kracht was seriously sexually abused by a Protestant pastor in Nenndorf, near Hamburg in Lower Saxony, in the 1980s and 1990s. As it was only later discovered, the parish priest, who died in 2013, abused other girls both in Nenndorf and in his previous parish in Wolfsburg.
“We are guilty”
Presenting the study, current EKD board chair Kirsten Fehrs apologized to those affected. “As an institution, we have also been guilty of harming countless people,” said the Bishop of Hamburg. She could only apologize “from the bottom of her heart.” She was “deeply shocked” by the overall picture shown by the study: “Time and again since I began dealing with the issue, I have been sincerely shocked by this abysmal violence that has been inflicted on so many people in our church. ,” she said. The church will accept the results with humility.
Current EKD board chair Kirsten Fehrs Imago / Jens Schulze
Fehr's predecessor, Annette Kurschus, resigned as chairman of the EKD board and president of the Westphalian regional church last November. The background was allegations that Kurschus had known for many years of suspected sexually aggressive behavior against a church employee in the religious district of Siegen at the time. Kurschus denies the allegations but said she does not want to harm people affected by sexual violence with headlines by remaining in office. In the past, there have been several criticisms about the slowness in dealing with abuse among Protestants.
The EKD began the study in 2020. The objective was to analyze Protestant structures that promote violence and abuse of power. The investigation was financed with 3.6 million euros. As an umbrella organization for 20 regional churches, EKD represents 19.2 million Protestant Christians across the country.
Request for “compensation for pain and suffering”
People affected by sexual violence can currently apply for individual voluntary benefits. According to the EKD, these are based on compensation for moral damages and normally vary between 5,000 and 50,000 euros. By the end of 2022, EKD regional churches reported 858 applications for such recognition services.
Psychiatrist Harald Dressing, a member of the research group, criticized the “slow cooperation of regional churches”. This led to a significant delay and in some cases “insufficient data” was transmitted, he said. “We did not express any desire, but we had a research project, which we communicated clearly from the beginning and to which the Protestant Church was also contractually committed.” This included a systemic analysis of personnel files. This could not be fully implemented. (APA/dpa)