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Annette Kurschus says she is resigning ‘to forestall harm to my church’.
The top of Germany’s Protestant Church has resigned following allegations that she turned a blind eye to allegations of sexual abuse at a church the place she was a pastor within the Nineties.
Annette Kurschus, a senior theologian who led Germany’s largest Protestant federation, stated Monday that she had no information of the alleged abuse on the time however would resign to “keep away from harm to my church.”
“At each second I acted to the very best of my information and perception,” Kurschus stated at a information convention asserting her resignation. “However public confidence in my individual has been broken.”
The 60-year-old theologian has been dogged by media stories that she was knowledgeable “intimately” of sexual abuse allegations towards a church colleague within the Nineties and took no motion.
The colleague – who served as a pastor within the Siegen church district, the place Kurschus labored – is now being investigated by the police.
Kurschus stated sure been knowledgeable on the time in regards to the man’s “homosexuality and marital infidelity,” however solely discovered of allegations of sexual abuse this 12 months.
“I’ve by no means — and I emphasize this — by no means tried to evade accountability, withhold materials info, cowl up info and even cowl up a suspect,” she stated.
Anna-Nicole Heinrich, president of the synod of the Protestant Church, stated Kurschus’ resignation “demonstrates the significance the church attaches to robust motion on sexual violence.”
Historical past of abuse
Whereas the Catholic Church has been rocked for years by allegations of sexual abuse towards clergy, Germany’s Protestant establishments, which signify 19 million individuals, have obtained little consideration.
A 2018 examine commissioned by the German Bishops’ Convention concluded that 1,670 Catholic clergy within the nation had dedicated some type of sexual assault on 3,677 minors between 1946 and 2014.
The precise variety of victims might be a lot larger.
An 800-page report on the Diocese of Cologne alone, launched in 2021, discovered 202 alleged perpetrators of sexual assault and 314 victims between 1975 and 2018. Greater than half of the victims have been youthful than 14 years previous.
The Catholic Church’s payouts for abuse victims in Germany elevated to 50,000 euros ($54,600) in 2020, up from round 5,000 euros beforehand, however campaigners say the quantity remains to be insufficient.
Final 12 months alone, round 28 million euros price of funds have been permitted.
Germany’s Protestant chief resigns, however denies ignoring sexual abuse allegations | Faith Information
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