German police search church offices in investigation of Cardinal Woelki
June 27, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: German police searched offices of the Cologne archdiocese on June 27, seeking evidence that Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki might have given false testimony about his knowledge of clerical abuse.
A spokesman for prosecutors that any new evidence uncovered by the search could either support or disprove perjury charges against the cardinal. He added that Cardinal Woelki “is not being charged with covering up or participating in any acts of abuse.”
Cardinal Woelki has twice offered his resignation, after it came to light that he declined to publish an internal report on the handling of sex-abuse complaints in the Cologne archdiocese. (The report showed cover-ups by previous archbishops, but did not implicate Cardinal Woelki.) Pope Francis has not accepted his resignation(s).
The current police investigation centers on the question of whether the cardinal gave false testimony to civil officials about his knowledge of sex-abuse cases.
Cardinal Woelki has received very little support—and a good deal of public criticism—from other German prelates. He has clashed frequently with his colleagues in recent months, criticizing the radical suggestions advanced by a majority of German bishops as part of the Synodal Path, and is one of five German bishops whose opposition blocked funding for the creation of a Synodal Commission. The majority of German bishops have indicated their determination to proceed with the commission in spite of Vatican opposition.
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