Munich, Germany, Jan 25, 2022 / 12:00 pm
Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1982 to 2007, apologized on Tuesday for mishandling an abuse case highlighted in a more than 1,000-page report on the archdiocese in southern Germany.
In a statement issued on Jan. 25, the 93-year-old cardinal said he was filled “with shame and sadness” that he had not fulfilled his duty “to protect children and young people to the necessary extent” in the case of a cleric identified in the German media only as “Priest H.”
Priest H. came to the archdiocese as an already identified abuser, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. He was permitted to engage in pastoral ministry and committed further offences.
“Through theology and canon law, powers in the Catholic Church are concentrated almost exclusively on the local bishop. This reflects a personal responsibility that cannot be delegated,” Wetter said.