Cardinal Woelki celebrates further court victory against the Bild newspaper!

Cardinal Woelki celebrates further court victory against the Bild newspaper!

Köln, Deutschland - in the legal dispute against the "Bild" newspaper has again achieved a legal success. On December 5, 2024, the Cologne Higher Regional Court decided that the tabloid was no longer allowed to say that Woelki had violated his duties in the event of the late Winfried Pilz, the ex-president of the children's mission "Die Sternsinger". The court thus confirmed a previous judgment of the Cologne Regional Court, which rejected the misleading allegations of the newspaper. The legal dispute that originated in a report of July 5, 2022 was about the information on abuse allegations against Milz, which made the Archdiocese of Cologne public in June 2022 without informing the responsible authorities in the diocese of Dresden-Meißen.

court speaks clear words

According to the judgment, the statements of the "Bild" newspaper were set up for a "hidden assertion". The newspaper had suggested that Woelki would have deliberately prevented the information about mushrooms from 2014. However, the Higher Regional Court made it clear that there is no actual basis for this. In addition, the court did not allow a revision, which makes the judgment final. The amount in dispute was set at 20,000 euros, which also means that a non -admission complaint at the Federal Court of Justice is not permitted. Woelki can refer to a winning streak in previous judicial proceedings against the "Bild" newspaper.

In addition to these judicial disputes, the Cologne public prosecutor continues to suspect that Woelki may have given false affidavit. The time at which Woelki had knowledge of the allegations against mushrooms and the legal steps in the event of a promoted priest is examined. It is expected that the investigation will deliver results either at the end of the year or at the beginning of the new year that could be important for Woelki.