Chancellor Merkel condemns sexual abuse scandal in Germany
By APWednesday, March 17, 2010
Merkel condemns sexual abuse
BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says sexual abuse of children 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.”
In an address to parliament, Merkel said Wednesday that “the damage victims suffered can never fully be repaired, but … we can talk about compensation” for those who were abused. It was the first time that the chancellor has spoken out about the scandal that has rocked Germany in the past weeks.
Merkel stressed that the nation’s Roman Catholic Church was not the only source of abuse.
The church has been at the heart of the scandal. More than 250 former students of Catholic institutions have alleged physical or sexual abuse.
