Chancellor Merkel condemns abuse scandal in Germany, suggests extending statute of limitations

Merkel: Sexual abuse in Germany ‘despicable’

BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel called the sex abuse scandal rocking the homeland of Pope Benedict XVI a major challenge to German society and warned the only way to come to terms with it was to “find out everything that has happened.”

Speaking out on Wednesday for the first time since allegations of abuse at a school linked to Berlin’s Roman Catholic church initially surfaced in January, Merkel suggested compensation for victims and considering an extension on the current statute of limitations for filing claims against abusers.

Many of a wave of more than 300 allegations — more than half at church-run schools — happened in the 1960s or 70s and cannot be prosecuted.

“I think that we all agree that sexual abuse of minors is a despicable crime and the only way for our society to come to terms with it is to look for the truth and find out everything that has happened,” Merkel told parliament. “The damage suffered by the victims can never fully be repaired.”

Merkel’s remarks come amid growing impatience from Germany’s Catholics for the pope to address the scandal here. In his native state of Bavaria alone, more than 100 former Catholic students have come forward with claims of physical or sexual abuse.

A spokesman for Germany’s Roman Catholic Church said Wednesday the pontiff could mention Germany later this week in conjunction with his expected letter to Irish Catholics over their own scandal.

“We certainly can not rule out that he will use this opportunity to address the situation in Germany, it is his homeland,” Karl Juesten told the ARD broadcaster on Wednesday.

During his weekly general audience in Rome on Wednesday, the pontiff said that he would sign a pastoral letter to the Irish Church on Friday, but made no mention of Germany.

While the Catholic Church has been at the heart of the German scandal, other boarding schools have also been implicated and Merkel stressed that it was important not to point fingers.

“Let’s not oversimplify things. We need to speak about the statute of limitations, we can address the idea of compensation, but the main issue is that this is a major challenge for our society,” Merkel said.

The chancellor’s ministers for justice, family affairs and education have called for a round table that would include Catholic Church representatives, to meet in April. On the agenda would be an examination of whether to extend the statute of limitations. Currently a victim must contact investigators within 10 years of their 18th birthday to trigger criminal proceedings; to claim damages in civil proceedings a victim typically has only three years.

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Associated Press Writer Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this report.