Sign up for the editor's
weekly newsletter
- Germany edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Norway |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
Reader Offer
February 9, 2012
Catholics toughen rules on sex abuse prevention
Published: 31 Aug 10 16:25 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100831-29519.html
Germany's Catholic Church unveiled on Tuesday tougher guidelines on investigating and preventing child sex abuse that it hopes will stop a repeat of the hugely damaging scandals of this year.
- Police investigating more miniature railway child abuse claims (27 Oct 11)
- Pope's final message - go back to basics (25 Sep 11)
- Abuse victims meeting leaves Pope 'shamed' (24 Sep 11)
"It was important for us bishops to make sure that ... the new guidelines prevent cases of sexual abuse being covered up," Ackermann, who was tapped by the German Episcopal Conference to draw up the new code, told reporters.
In future, allegations of abuse would be reported to the police more quickly, while new rules will ensure that people who have abused children are under no circumstances given jobs working with young people, Ackermann said.
"We also want to make sure that as many victims as possible ... have the courage to come forward," Ackermann said in Trier, western Germany.
Like elsewhere in Europe, Germany was hit earlier this year by revelations that hundreds of children were physically or sexually abused in institutions throughout the country, all but a handful run by the Roman Catholic Church.
The abuse mostly took place several decades ago but the scandal has still done much to damage the standing of the Church five years after the appointment of the German-born Benedict XVI as pope was a source of great national pride.
AFP (news@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Fark It!
Digg This
Share everywhere
Send to a friend
Printable version
Twitter ThisToday's headlines
Brutal cold triggers reserve power plants
After exporting power to France earlier this week, Germany has switched on reserve energy plants amid surging demand for electricity due to the ongoing deep freeze hitting Europe. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Artist compensated for two lost French fries
A Munich court on Thursday awarded an artist €2,000 in damages because a gallery lost two 22-year-old chips that were the basis of an artwork in which the fries lay across each other in a cross. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Star cyclist Ullrich found guilty of doping
Germany’s most famous cyclist Jan Ullrich was found guilty of doping and stripped of his third place in the 2005 Tour de France by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
Germany expels four Syrian diplomats
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Thursday Germany was expelling four diplomats from the Syrian embassy in Berlin after the arrest of two men suspected of spying on regime opponents. READ (1 COMMENT) »
Berlinale opens with revolutionary drama
Diane Kruger stars as Marie Antoinette in "Farewell My Queen," a lush costume drama set on the eve of the French Revolution that will open the 62nd Berlin film festival on Thursday. READ »
Rent-jumping family caught by police
An eight-person family that avoided paying rent for years by moving house every two to three weeks has finally been caught in the northern German town of Schneverdingen. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
What's on in Germany: February 9 - 15
This Week's Highlights: The star-studded Berlinale film festival kicks off in Berlin, Munch goes on view in Frankfurt, and a ukelele orchestra sets up in Munich. READ »
Sick pups found in van
German police this week rescued 92 puppies from a van, after the dogs had spent 13 hours being transported across Europe without food or water. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
More Society
- 09/02 Artist compensated for two lost French fries (1 comment) »
- 09/02 What's on in Germany: February 9 - 15 »
- 09/02 Sick pups found in van (5 comments) »
- 09/02 Berlinale opens with revolutionary drama »
- 08/02 German papers win paparazzi case in Europe »
- 07/02 Lost ancient artefacts found after 50 years (6 comments) »
- 07/02 Frozen kraut jam leaves autobahn drivers sauer (11 comments) »
- 07/02 Sex helps 'keep you young' in old age (9 comments) »
- 07/02 Rapper on dole faces benefit cut for lyrics (8 comments) »
- 07/02 Virus lays low thousands of farm animals (10 comments) »
Highlights
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
KFZ-Sachverstaendigenbuero Detlef Buchwald
I am an unaffiliated and impartial automotive appraiser -
Greenback Expat Tax Services
US expat tax preparation services for American owned companies in Germany -
Keith Tanner
Your British financial adviser in Berlin -
British Corner Shop
British Corner Shop is the online supermarket for British Expats. -
tolingo professional translation service
fast and reliable translations in over 35 languages -
Get Grocery
Online shop for wide range of authentic Indian food in Germany/EU -
COMPEXX FINANZ AG
Financial services in English: insurance, pensions, investments, mortgages
Sponsored Links
- EXPATTAX - German tax advice in English language - nationwide
- Dolores - Berlin's best California-style burritos!
- Learn German in Germany at one of the largest German schools in Berlin: ESL IH Berlin – booking made easy with ESL – Sprachreisen
- Hundreds of job opportunities for foreign professionals in Germany
- Translation and English writing services
- Find the right relationship
- Your advertisement here
Jobs in Germany, in English
1328 jobs available
874 new jobs this week
222 new jobs today
- Labor Entwicklungsingenieur (Medizintechnik)
- Biostatistican -SAS- (m/f)
- Teamleiter für die Dokumentationskontrolle
- Sales Manager m/w, Medizintechnik, PLZ 76XXX
- Senior Product and Marketing Manager Air Conditioning / Heating / Ventilation (m/f) (FH, Uni)
- Internship - Investment Funds Services
- Advisor in Invetment Funds Regulation (m/f)
- Commodity Manager - Metal / Plastics
- Sales Manager - Chemical Industry (m/f)
- Administrative Support in our Markets department (m/f)
Blog
- Feb/07 Do you like home-made Rock’n Roll with your fries?
- Nov/25 Hop on hop off Berlin
- Nov/25 Shopping in Berlin
- Nov/25 Typical Berlin
- Nov/25 I lost my heart in Kastanienallee
Essentials
Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your
style? Find a German sweetheart here.
Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather
section.
Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.
Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of
charge.
Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.
Register
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
News from the Goethe-Institut
- The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere 2.0? – Answers from Gerhard Schulze
Does the public sphere have a different structure in the digital age than in the past? Some answers from Bamberg sociology professor Gerhard Schulze.... - Dancing is thinking – on the relationship between philosophy and dance
At first glance, dance and philosophy seem to be a contradictory pair. - More Than Just a Dream: The German Digital Library
The German Digital Library, the project of the century that is to make Germany’s cultural heritage freely accessible to everyone, is gradually taking concrete shape.... - Celebrating the Moment – Against Asceticism
Abstinence is ideologically in vogue. - Little Hollywood am Main: The LUCAS International Children’s Film Festival
LUCAS is Germany’s oldest children’s film festival.
News from Young Germany
- Weimar has the best international university in Germany
The Bauhaus University in Weimar, Thuringia, describes itself as being eager to experiment, open... - New law clears way for recognition of degrees and training earned abroad
The Upper House of the German Parliament, the Bundesrat, has approved groundbreaking legislation... - Deutsche Literatur im Netz
Wer sich im Ausland für deutsche Literatur interessierte, hatte es früher nicht immer leicht, an... - German research vessel begins Antarctic expedition
The Polarstern—a German research vessel operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and... - Science - a powerhouse of ideas
Scientific insights that can change our world are at the centre of a special scientific conference...
News from DeutschlandOnline
- Fewer animal experiments thanks to nanosensors
Countless mice, rats and rabbits die every year in the name of science – and the situation is... - German employers split over campaign to ban smoking breaks
Employers in Germany have launched a campaign to ban all smoking in the workplace, not just... - Marine Research in Kiel is heading towards new shores
Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel established On January 1, 2012 the former Leibniz... - Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle: Laying down ambitious and binding rules for the euro
Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued the following statement in Berlin today (11...
Noticeboard
- 09/02 Looking for family
- 07/02 Help needed
- 06/02 Channel 4 News request - moving to Germany
- 06/02 Native Italian Speaker
- 06/02 Sport-Promotion in Berlin
- 05/02 English Lessons via Skype
Toytown Germany
- 21:58 When the time comes
- 21:57 400 euro mini job and health insurance
- 21:38 Do you own a pair of Crocs?
- 21:31 English-speaking orthopaedic specialist in Munich
- 21:29 Moving to Wolfsburg
- 21:17 A German IPA is born
- 21:16 If the UK declared war on Germany today
- 21:00 Kindergarten in summer?
- 20:52 Drinking & Clubbing In Karlsruhe
- 20:47 First Aid / CPR Course in English April 29th 2012
Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Your comments about this article:
"To hell with the victims" is precisely the Church's posture. It always has been and always will be.
On August 29, 2010 the New York Times reported the lurid details of how Cardinal Godfried Danneels, former archbishop of Brussels, pressed an abuse victim to remain silent about his abuser, who happened to be the victim's own uncle and a Catholic bishop.
Today, CNN reports that the Irish Cardinal who covered up abuse and required victims to sign confidentiality agreements has no intention of resigning. Apparently he doesn't think he did anything wrong.
Nothing's going to change from within the Catholic Church. Any change will have to come from the outside, as when these pedophiles and their enablers start going to prison en masse (no pun intended).
What is this I here in this article, about not putting the member in contact with young people? (in a future job position) Are they serious? If I had a member in my church who had been accused of harming/abusing a young person.
This person would be lucky to escape with his life in my presence. Much less get another job in the church. Ridiculous! That member needs to go pound the pavement, and see if anybody would hire a pedophile, if said member was lucky to escape prison. And, that shouldn't happen either.