The University of Münster investigated the sexual exploitation of minors over a period of 75 years. The diocese that was the subject of the research funded the study.
According to the study, at least 610 juvenile victims have been sexually abused in the Diocese of Münster in West Germany.
The study covers the period from 1945 to 2020. According to researchers, the actual number of victims can be as much as ten times due to the reporting threshold and the stigma associated with the cases.
The abuse was frequent. Many of the victims have been between 10 and 14 years old at the time of the acts. Most of the victims were boys and about a quarter were girls. The victims have usually had close relations with the church, for example, they have acted as altar boys.
– The bishops and many others in power in the diocesan administration knew about the deeds, in some cases down to the last detail, says the professor who led the research project Thomas Grossbölting in a university bulletin.
In 75 years, at least 196 priests committed the acts. That means about four percent of the clergy. The researchers found that a large proportion of the priests were placed elsewhere, but their job description was not restricted.
– They (the leadership of the diocese) whispered, fell silent and intervened only superficially when they wanted to avoid a public scandal. They did not pay attention to the victims in any way, another professor who led the research Klaus Grosse Kracht notes.
The current bishop of the diocese Felix Glenn has been in office since 2008 and research finds he was initially slow to take advantage of anything.
In recent years, other cases of abuse have been uncovered in the German Catholic Church. A study published in 2018 revealed that 1,600 priests abused more than 3,600 minors between 1946 and 2014.
Similar revelations have shaken the Catholic Church in recent years in the United States and France as well.