Proposal to no longer bury bishops in cathedral crypt following abuse scandal. Public access to Bishops' graves blocked.
Working group of the Diocese of Münster proposes "open grave" in cathedral crypt
A beech tree in front of Altenberg Cathedral
A beech tree (like this one in front of the Altenberg Cathedral in the Bergisches Land) should be a reminder of abuse in all parishes of the diocese - this is the proposal of a working group of the Diocese.
Mourning books in all parishes of the Diocese of Münster should commemorate abuse by clergy.
This is the proposal of the "Working Group on Remembrance Culture" in the diocese.
They also make suggestions for the burial place of bishops who covered up in St Paul's Cathedral.
Black and red mourning blood beeches in all parishes of the diocese of Münster should commemorate the abuse scandal by clergymen. This is the recommendation of the "Remembrance Culture Working Group" at the suggestion of those affected. The working group was set up after the publication of the abuse report for the diocese of Münster in 2022. It includes three victims, two members each of the diocesan committee and the cathedral chapter as well as three members of the diocesan council and the two diocesan intervention commissioners.
The blood beeches (Fagus sylavtica Purpurea Pendula) are to be planted in 2024 in each parish on a central day "in as prominent a place as possible", as the resolution of the WG states. At least one specimen should be planted per parish, and others are conceivable in front of the individual parish churches or in the cemeteries. It is important to the WG that the people in the parishes already deal with the topic through the preparation of the campaign, but also permanently. In addition, a commemorative plaque should be attached to each blood beech to enable a link to the abuse report.
Not only cemeteries with perpetrators' graves
According to the working group's idea, there should also be such a tree at St Paul's Cathedral in Münster - planted by Bishop Felix Genn. On the occasion of the anniversary of the presentation of the abuse report, Bishop Genn welcomed the tree-planting campaign in principle. In an interview with Westdeutscher Rundfunk broadcast yesterday, however, the impression was created that the trees were to be planted exclusively in those cemeteries where accused or convicted priests were buried.
"There is no question of that, and the Bishop did not mean it that way either," explains Peter Frings, the diocese's intervention officer, in an interview with "Kirche-und-Leben.de". "In fact, the question does arise as to how the graves of accused or proven guilty priests should be dealt with in the parishes." The "AG Erinnerungskultur" (Working Group on Remembrance Culture) also makes suggestions on this, but leaves the decision to the parishes. The tree-planting campaign, however, is about "rooting this form of remembrance culture in all parishes", says Frings.
Proposal: Open tomb in St Paul's Cathedral
The Working Group has its own idea of how to deal with the burial place of those bishops in Münster Cathedral who have been proven to have covered up abuse - such as Heinrich Tenhumberg and Reinhard Lettmann. As a consequence, there should be no burials in the cathedral or in the cathedral cemetery in future. "For the future, there should be a different approach here that makes it clear that a new chapter is being opened," the recommendation says.
In addition, a grave in the Bishop's crypt that is not yet occupied should be deliberately opened and remain empty - and thus remain permanently in view as an "open wound in the history of the diocese". According to the working group's ideas, information boards should explain this background and name those responsible for the cover-up.
According to the working group's ideas, these proposals should now be discussed in an exchange with the cathedral chapter, as Bishop Felix Genn formulated in a letter to all full-time and voluntary employees in the diocese on the anniversary of the publication of the report on 13 June.
After submission of abuse study, Bishop's crypt in Münster Cathedral not accessible (actually since 2022 although the crypt was opened for All Saints- see article below)
Münster - After the publication of an abuse study for the Diocese of Münster, access to the tombs of three former bishops in Münster Cathedral is closed. In their study, researchers from the University of Münster accuse the deceased, among others, of having made mistakes in dealing with abuse cases.
In Münster, a research team from the university presented a study on abuse in the Münster diocese. The bishop's crypt in Münster Cathedral is closed for the time being after the presentation.
In Münster, a university research team presented a study on abuse in the diocese of Münster. The bishop's crypt in Münster Cathedral is closed for the time being after the presentation.
The church internet portal kirche-und-leben.de published a photo of a sign in the cathedral on Tuesday. According to it, a visit to the sepulchre is currently "not possible". The notice is signed by the provost of the cathedral, Kurt Schulte. The diocese of Münster did not want to give reasons for the closure when asked by the Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA).
In the crypt under the south tower of St Paul's Cathedral lie the graves of Bishops Michael Keller (in office: 1947-1961), Heinrich Tenhumberg (1969-1979) and Reinhard Lettmann (1980-2008). Researchers at the University of Münster accuse them - and the other two Münster bishops since 1945 - of having made mistakes in dealing with abuse cases. Accused and partially convicted clergymen were repeatedly transferred, thus enabling further acts.
Yawning emptiness in the churches: Record resignations at NRW bishoprics
The authors of the study attest to the current bishop, Felix Genn, that in his first years in Münster he did not always deal with repentant offenders with the necessary severity and only later changed the way abuse cases were dealt with. Genn will explain on Friday what consequences he and the diocese will draw from the investigation.
The study counts 196 accused between 1945 and 2020, according to analyses of files and interviews with victims. The number of victims is 610, but the number of unreported cases is eight to ten times higher, according to the researchers.
Cathedral chapter decides to reopen bishop's crypt
St Paul's Cathedral Diocese of Münster
The Cathedral chapter at St Paul's Cathedral in Münster has decided to re-open the Bishop's crypt in the cathedral on All Saints' Day for the Commemoration of the Dead and thus also to the public. "This decision has not yet determined how to deal with the burial vault and the issue of an appropriate culture of remembrance in the long term," emphasises Auxiliary Bishop Dr Christoph Hegge in his function as cathedral dean and thus as the current head of the Cathedral Chapter. Remembering the dead means entrusting the deceased to God's mercy, even in their weaknesses and faults.
Reflections on an appropriate culture of remembrance in the cathedral continue - Bishop also invites parishes to remember well at their own locations.
At the entrance to the sepulchre there will continue to be a notice about the serious mistakes made by the bishops in dealing with sexual abuse. The study published in June by the WWU Münster on sexual abuse in the Diocese of Münster shows that the former bishops of Münster Reinhard Lettmann, Heinrich Tenhumberg and Michael Keller made serious mistakes in dealing with sexual abuse. These bishops are buried in the bishop's crypt in St Paul's Cathedral. Also buried in the canons' cemetery of St Paul's Cathedral are suffragan bishops Josef Voß and Laurenz Böggering, who were responsible for covering up sexual abuse.
Note:
Decisions concerning St Paul's Cathedral are exclusively a matter for the cathedral chapter. The bishop has no decision-making power in this regard.
Suggestions can still be submitted as to how the grave mistakes made by the bishops buried there in dealing with sexual abuse can be pointed out in a good and appropriate form in the surroundings of the bishop's crypt and the cathedral cemetery and how those affected can be remembered. This can be done by sending an email to: betroffenenbeteiligung@gmail.com or to interventionsbeauftragter@bistum-muenster.de. Some ideas have already been received. In addition to the Cathedral Chapter, the Diocesan Committee and the Diocesan Council should also be involved in the decision-making process. Bishop Dr Felix Genn will take up this suggestion of the affected people's initiative in the diocese of Münster. A further meeting of the affected persons' initiative is planned for the spring of next year. Any feedback received afterwards will also be included in the decision-making process.
At the same time, the bishop asks the parishes in the diocese, in whose cemeteries priests are buried who have committed or covered up sexual abuse, to also consider for their part how an appropriate and good procedure can look locally. "I ask that thought be given to this in the various places in our diocese. People affected by abuse can also be involved in local decision-making processes if they so wish," he said.
.jpeg)
Comments