Title: Cologne Archdiocese awaits potentially explosive report on abuse
A potentially explosive report about sexual abuse in Germany’s Cologne Archdiocese is set to be released March 18.The fate of the city’s archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, could be profoundly affected. He has offered to resign if he is implicated in a cover-up.
The upper echelon of the archdiocese will be targeted in the currently secret report, according to Joachim Frank, chief correspondent of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, the city’s largest newspaper.
“Those responsible from the diocese management who covered up cases of sexual abuse or committed violations of secular and ecclesiastical law shall be mentioned,” Frank told NCR.
Peter Otten, a catechist at St. Agnes Parish in Cologne, said in an email that he expects the report will cite “the criminals behind the criminals — bishops, auxiliary bishops, vicars general, and other staff managers.”