An independent commission's report on abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg, presented 18 April 2023. The 600-page report covers 1945 to 2020 and documents 540 victims and 250 priests identified as possible perpetrators, both figures described as floors likely to rise as further files are found. It names Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, in office 2003 to 2013, and his predecessor Oskar Saier, in office 1978 to 2002, and finds Zollitsch ignored canon law in abuse cases while enforcing celibacy discipline strictly. Zollitsch returned Germany's Order of Merit and forwent burial privileges at Freiburg cathedral days after the report's release.
Facts
Documented Findings
Accused DocumentedPriests identified in the report as possible perpetrators, likewise named as a floor. Victim EstimateThe report's own tally across the 1945 to 2020 period it examined, named as a floor investigators expect to rise as further files are found. Key FindingThe report found that Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, in office 2003 to 2013, ignored canon law in abuse cases while his archdiocese enforced celibacy discipline strictly; Zollitsch returned Germany's Order of Merit and forwent burial privileges at Freiburg cathedral in the days after the report's release. His predecessor Oskar Saier, in office 1978 to 2002, is also named as a subject of the investigation. 2 Inquiry Profile
Kind of RecordChurch-Commissioned Report 1 JurisdictionArchdiocese of Freiburg, Germany 1 Commissioned ByArchdiocese of Freiburg, investigation conducted by an independent commission whose report names Eugen Endress among its authors 1 Publication Year Period Covered, From Cross-Tradition Connections
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