Cologne Catholic churchs hold penance service on sex abuse
ABC News
The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne, Germany has held a service of penance for cases of sexual abuse by clergy
COLOGNE, Germany -- The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne, Germany held a service of penance Thursday for cases of sexual abuse by clergy, saying the ritual was not an absolution for the perpetrators but a “confession of guilt.”
The German Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse reports has caused a massive crisis in Cologne, where the archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, has taken a “spiritual timeout" on the advice of Pope Francis.
The archdiocese’s interim administrator, Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Steinhaeuser, led Thursday's service.
"A large number of crimes of sexualized violence against wards have been committed by priests and other church employees of our diocese,” Steinhaeuser said during the service held at Cologne Cathedral.
