A German Catholic bishop who has been accused of refusing to actively pursue investigations into reports of sexual abuses by priests in his home town will be meeting with president of the South African Bishops Conference Stephen Brislin in Cape Town on Tuesday.
The Bishop of Trier and the spokesperson for sexual abuses for the German Catholic Bishops Conference, Stephan Ackermann, landed in the country a few days ago. He has been criticised in Germany for his perceived leniency towards priests on the Saar River accused of paedophilia and the sexual abuse of children.
His visit comes after the arrest of German cleric Georg Kerkhoff who is on trial for allegedly molesting several children during a church outing in Johannesburg five years ago.
Kerkhoff slipped into South Africa to work with children at a Catholic church in Randburg despite facing numerous allegations of him molesting children in Europe. He is living in Cape Town after being suspended, pending the outcome of his trial.
A church source told The New Age on Sunday Ackermann had been in contact with a priest in Cape Town who has been monitoring developments around Kerkhoff’s case here, and was likely to meet Kerkhoff.
But Brislin said Ackermann had come to oversee “German projects” saying: “He is on a visit. I don’t think it has anything to do with the Kerkhoff case.”
Ackermann was quoted in German media saying: “There is no Guantanamo for church offenders. Their limited deployment under certain conditions is possible.” Teddy Bear Clinic’s Dr Shaheda Omar expressed hope Ackermann and the German church would ensure Kerkhoff returns to face his allegations without any protection.
“He needs to face the consequences. He is being shielded by the church. That is my professional opinion. The church has come to his rescue. Check the funding since the matter went to court. Where would he have access to legal funding?
“The church needs to let him face the music,” she said. German new magazine Der Spiegel has cited a number of cases in which Ackermann had allegedly protected paedophiles, including a priest who was a teacher at a boarding school and accused of having sexual relations for more than four years with a pupil.
The investigation also revealed two priests who worked in Ackermann’s diocese were convicted for possession of child pornography and were working as religious officials in hospitals. Brislin said he was unaware Ackermann had been accused of sweeping paedophilia in his diocese under the carpet.
Quelle: "thenewage.co.za"
Hinweis: Nach aktuell vorliegenden Informationen aus Kapstadt wurde Kerkhoff NICHT - wie angegeben - in Haft genommen.
Hinweis: Nach aktuell vorliegenden Informationen aus Kapstadt wurde Kerkhoff NICHT - wie angegeben - in Haft genommen.
