Freiburg (dpa/lsw) - After public criticism from the Advisory Board for those affected in the Archdiocese of Freiburg, the former Archbishop Robert Zollitsch wants to talk to the committee about his role in processing cases of abuse. A specific date has yet to be found, his spokesman said on Thursday. The "Badische Latest News" (Thursday) reported about it first.
The 84-year-old, who was also chairman of the German Bishops' Conference from 2008 to 2014, admitted misconduct in dealing with allegations of abuse earlier this month and apologized in a statement. The Advisory Council for Affected Persons asked Zollitsch in an open letter on Tuesday to support those affected and to specifically name what “the church system” had done in the past decades to cover up abuse.
"You have placed your version of the truth on the Internet with no opportunity for dialogue," the letter said. "It's not about taking an opposing position, but about bringing in our perspective on what has happened in the Archdiocese of Freiburg in recent decades." Zollitsch's spokesman said that the old bishop did not want to comment publicly on the letter, but instead wanted to talk to those affected directly.
A report on how diocesan officials deal with sexual abuse should have been published on October 25. However, this was postponed in September.
