Bishops' conference discusses victim protection: 10 years of Klasnic Commission!

Bishops' conference discusses victim protection: 10 years of Klasnic Commission!

Mariazell, Österreich - The Bishops' Conference in Austria has dealt with the important topic of victim protection after extensive consultations. The participants of the event included the independent victim protection lawyer Waltraud Klasnic and members of the victim protection commission such as Reinhard Haller, Ulla Konrad, Werner Leixnering, Caroline List and Kurt Scholz. Abbot Thomas Renner was also among the board members of the victim protection foundation. The meeting dealt with various aspects of victim protection and the implementation of the decisions made.

In the 15 years since the victim protection commission was founded, a total of 3,492 cases were decided, with 3,214 of these decisions in favor of those affected. To date, 3,640 affected people have been registered by physical and/or sexual violence, with 62.4 % men and 37.6 % women, as the [Kleine Zeitung] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/service/newsticker/innengolitung/19802872/bischofskonferenz-beschüffigtig-mit-thema-victim protection) reports. 37.7 million euros in compensation were granted, of which 29.79 million euros were used as financial aid and 7.91 million euros for therapies.

The influence of the Klasnic Commission

Waltraud Klasnic emphasizes the independence of the Commission and supports the transfer of the processing of abuse cases to external experts. "We are independent," she emphasizes, emphasizing that the Commission has been a pioneering role for the Catholic Church in Austria since its foundation. An important basis of the Commission is the comprehensive documentation and processing of incidents that many experienced in church institutions between the 1960s and the 1990s. In this context, there were 2370 cases, 92.3 % of which were recognized. The most common forms of violence were psychological and physical attacks.

The Klasnic Commission is in favor of the necessary changes in dealing with abuse cases. Klasnic himself conducted over 1,000 refurbishment talks and criticizes the closed structures in church boarding schools, which often put the rights and safety of children in danger. Your demands also include improvements in priestly training and the establishment of diocesan ombuds. The compensation process was taken over by the church and the city of Vienna, which is a significant financial relief for those affected.

The global context of abuse and processing

The challenges of victim protection are not only limited to Austria. Auflagungskommission.de refers to the systemic problems in both the Evangelical and in the Catholic Church, where abuse was often accompanied by a culture of silence and cover-up. Factors that favor abuse are often the existing power structures and the inadequate treatment of sexuality in priestly seminars. The reports of contemporary witnesses illustrate that abuse took place, especially in church institutions, such as municipalities and boarding schools, and was often not reported.

The Bishops' Conference is planning further steps to continue the processing, especially with regard to the upcoming bishop's synod via synodality and the implementation of the environmental encyclical "Laudato Si" by Pope Francis. The meeting closed with a festival service to which the faithful were cordially invited.