Catholic regional leaders sharply criticize Woelki

Three Catholic regional leaders in the Archdiocese of Cologne have sharply criticized Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.

Catholic regional leaders sharply criticize Woelki

Three Catholic regional leaders in the Archdiocese of Cologne have sharply criticized Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki. If new allegations against him apply, "we are probably facing a new low point in the crisis of the Archdiocese of Cologne," said Bonn City Dean Wolfgang Picken on Tuesday.

The "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" reported last week that PR consultant Woelkis had drafted plans for his "survival" in office at the height of the dispute over the processing of the abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Cologne at the end of 2020. It was already known that Woelki spent 820,000 euros on PR advice.

According to the report, the communications experts suggested that he get the Advisory Board of Victims of Sexual Abuse on his side in the dispute. Those affected should therefore support his decision not to publish an initial report on how diocese officials deal with allegations of sexual abuse of children due to legal concerns. According to the PR consultants, Woelki should rely on "emotions, credibility and authenticity".

Picken asked Woelki to comment on the newspaper report immediately. "If Cardinal Woelki really implemented the recommendations made by his PR consultants, this could irreparably damage the cardinal's integrity and would be difficult to tolerate," Picken said.

The Cologne city dean Robert Kleine wrote in a Facebook post that if the description is correct, it would be tantamount to "a moral declaration of bankruptcy by the diocese leadership to the advisory board and all those affected". In view of the resonance and explosiveness, he cannot understand that the Archdiocese does not want to comment on the confidential paper at the moment "and certainly not accept it".

Wuppertal city dean Bruno Kurth also asked Woelki to explain himself. "Not much remains of the promised new beginning in the archdiocese after the return of our archbishop from the break," Kurth criticized in a statement. “We are facing another low point in the crisis of loss of credibility and trust. The reputation and office of the Archbishop of Cologne and thus of the Archdiocese of Cologne are further damaged.”

Woelki was sent on a five-month sabbatical by Pope Francis last year. The Pope had accused him of "big mistakes", especially in his communication in connection with the unpublished abuse report. At the beginning of March, Woelki resumed his official duties. However, he had to submit a resignation request, which the Pope has yet to decide on.