Catholics build Wailing Wall in response to Zollitsch abuse crisis

After abuse report: Bruchsal Catholics build a Wailing Wall

Former Archbishop Robert Zollitsch was in Bruchsal in 2013 and 2018. After the latest revelations, the disappointment is great. What does this do to the faithful?

750 years of Zollitsch's city church

The world still seemed to be in order then: Robert Zollitsch celebrates the festive service in July 2018 on the occasion of the anniversary "750 Years of the City Church". Today, many participants are disappointed.

In the vestibule of the Bruchsal City Church, Marieluise Gallinat-Schneider has set up almost 50 bricks. In the cavities are rolled white slips of paper: "With this, we also want to give people the opportunity to give space to their consternation, who normally do not enter the Church as a place of activities."

Until Wednesday, 3 May, at 12 noon for the City Mass, requests can be deposited in the "Wailing Wall", explains the parish worker, who has been responsible for prevention in the St. Vincent parish since 2012 and organises training courses for work with children and young people. The intentions are then to be read out in the intercessory prayer service.

City Church Wailing Wall

Wailing Wall: Until the City Mass on Wednesday, 3 May, requests can be deposited in the "Wailing Wall" that head of the parish council,  Marieluise Gallinat-Schneider has set up in the vestibule of the City Church. 

The training concept is currently being revised: "I already have the impression that there is more appreciation and greater caution in our dealings," explains Gallinat-Schneider. She is not aware of any cases of abuse in Bruchsal.

Since the final report on the abuse in the Archdiocese of Freiburg and the failure of the former Archbishop Robert Zollitsch became known on 18 April, Catholics in the region have been in an uproar. The report accuses Zollitsch of having covered up acts of abuse.

Zollitsch looked over the shoulders of Paulus pupils during chemistry lessons

Many have experienced the former archbishop himself: In March 2013, during a visit to the Catholic Paulusheim, Zollitsch looked over the shoulders of pupils during chemistry lessons: potassium chlorate is used to make jelly bears glow.

After the visit, a student representative said enthusiastically: "The Archbishop really came across as very likeable. The reason for the visit was an invitation from the Pallottine Fathers, whose founder Vincent Pallotti had been canonised 50 years earlier.

Or at the festive service for the 750th anniversary of the Bruchsal town church in July 2018: Zollitsch celebrated the anniversary service then with parish priest, Benedikt Ritzler and deacon Bernhard Wilhelm.

Today, after the revelations about Zollitsch's omissions in cases of abuse, Deacon Wilhelm can no longer share the former enthusiasm: "If the ten commandments had been taken seriously, this should not have happened," Wilhelm says sadly.

Patrick Wippel, a member of the parish council of the Forst-Ubstadt-Weiher pastoral unit, also sees that the Catholic Church has failed in its own moral standards.

"At the grassroots, where the real work is done, the disappointment is great," says Wipper after the meeting of the Weiher parish team. Especially among the younger ones among the altar boys or the KJG, the Catholic Young Community. Some had been confirmed by Zollitisch and had admired him. Now the façade is crumbling.

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