A victim of the pedophile priest Peter H. has filed a lawsuit against the emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. and other church representatives submitted. This was reported on Wednesday by the Correctiv research association, “Zeit” and Bavarian Radio. The Pope “was aware of all the circumstances and at least accepted the fact that this priest was a repeat offender,” as the complaint states.
The plaintiff accuses the emeritus Catholic Church leader of having used H. in community work with children and young people despite knowing better. The retired Pope had admitted the priest to his diocese of Munich and Freising during his time as Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger in the early 1980s, although H. was known to have a pedophile record. In Bavaria, the priest then committed further acts of abuse.
The victim, who wants to remain anonymous in the reporting, wants to obtain justice for himself and other victims of abuse. “That’s mental murder,” the 38-year-old is quoted as saying. “Children carry it with them all their lives.” Pastor Peter H. abused him at the age of eleven and twelve and showed the boy pornographic films. His mother didn’t want to believe him at first. After that, the 38-year-old slipped, used drugs and ran away from home. Only the revelations about H.’s actions in 2010 by the media allowed him to regain strength.
The crimes are largely statute-barred. According to the report, the lawyer of the now suing victim, the Berlin criminal defense lawyer Andreas Schulz, has filed an action for a declaratory judgment in order to establish the guilt of the church. If the court concludes that then-Priest H. abused the plaintiff, the church could be “obligated to compensate him for the damage,” the media quoted the complaint as saying.
Defender Schulz also sees an institutional responsibility of the church in cases of abuse. “This is joint and several liability for all those involved in the process,” he was quoted as saying by Bayerischer Rundfunk.
According to the report, the lawsuit filed with the district court of Traunstein is also directed against Cardinal Friedrich Wetter and the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Christoph Klingan.
prevent abuse
The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs clarifies sexual abuse in the brochure “Ask boldly – act prudently”. For example, it explains how you can protect your child (from page 83) and how parents learn to deal with the fact that their own child has been abused (from page 52).
Advice centers and help lines
The Sexual Abuse Help Portal offers a wide range of information on the subject of sexual violence against children. You can search specifically for advice centers, medical and legal help in your own area. The website www.kein-kind-alone- Lassen.de also bundles information on counseling services.
The Sexual Abuse Helpline is the nationwide contact point for victims of sexual violence, for relatives and people from the social environment of children, for specialists and for all interested parties. There is free, anonymous advice on 0800 – 22 55 530.
Another telephone contact point is the berta telephone (0800 – 30 50 750, also free of charge and anonymous). The online offer of the berta telephone for those affected by organized sexualized and ritual violence is www.nina-info.de/berta.
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