Covering herself up in shame, the German Church goes completely bonkers

Catholic Bishops and Saints veiled at conference centre in Mainz

A Sign of Reckoning

At the Erbacher Hof Christian conference centre, statues of saints, bishops, and coats of arms are veiled. This measure follows a 2023 study and aims to create a new culture of remembrance. For the time being, the rooms are designated "Interim."

The reckoning with decades of abuse in the Catholic Church continues. Hardly a month goes by without a new academic study or report fueling the debate in one of the 27 dioceses. In Mainz, the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, activists are making a clear statement: At the Erbacher Hof conference center, located in the historic city center near the Rhine, all references to church figures were temporarily covered at the end of 2025.

A bishop's bust was covered, as were coats of arms in the courtyard and the names of the event rooms. All of them are labeled "Interim" until further notice to emphasize their temporary nature. A framed notice informs visitors to the center why the coverings and interim labels are in place. Guests will have the opportunity to leave their thoughts and feelings in the book.

"Questions have arisen surrounding some figures in Mainz's church history who failed to live up to their personal responsibility in dealing with sexualized violence," Elisabeth Eicher told the Catholic News Agency (KNA). She is responsible for adult education in the diocese and is a member of the Erbacher Hof working group on the culture of remembrance.

Bishops and saints now veiled

The veiling is part of the process of coming to terms with the past, the Catholic diocese announced previously. The goal is "not to erase memory, but to engage productively with a past that is, in some respects, ambivalent," a spokesperson for the diocese told KNA. Parishes in the German states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate are part of this initiative.

The action serves, among other things, to make processes of reflection visible in the conference center and in the diocese as a whole. The basis for this is the independent study "Experience, Understand, Prepare" from 2023. Among those whose names remain hidden are figures such as Saint Hildegard and Saint Lioba, Martin Buber and Edith Stein, as well as all bishops since the Second World War: from Albert Stohr and Hermann Volk to Cardinal Karl Lehmann.

However, the focus is not on specific perpetrator structures. "Since we were just conducting a comprehensive review of the history of the Erbacher Hof, we decided to use this turning point to examine the stories such a conference center tells its guests and society." The question then arises of how to appropriately deal with the past. Finding suitable answers takes time. And participation.

This also involves victims of abuse. A redesign is planned for the coming months, with initial results expected in 2026. It remains to be seen whether names will still be used or if there will be a completely new concept.

Artistic ideas are also welcome.

"We want to take another very deliberate look at the origins of these events. It is not our place to condemn individuals," explains Gereon Geissler, head of the Diocese's Department of Education. He is also a member of the working group. The task is to adopt a systemic perspective and establish the historical context. Around ten people are involved in the Erbacher Hof memorial project. In addition to diocesan staff and victims, external experts are also participating.

Among other things, the aim is to look at concepts that have already been successfully implemented elsewhere and see what can be adopted from them – including ideas of an artistic nature. It is clear that, ultimately, the design must work in terms of both content and aesthetics. "We hope that the new design will also make ambivalent memories part of everyday culture at Erbacher Hof," emphasises Geissler.

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NB There is zero tolerance on Cathcon for sexual abuse and its cover-up but this response is mad.  What are the trying to prove?  Why should traditional forms and figures become scapegoats of the sins of the modernists?