Germany: Police raid Cologne Archdiocese in perjury probe
Police and prosecutors in the German city of Cologne carried out raids on properties belonging to the local Catholic Church archdiocese on Tuesday as a part of a probe into Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.
The archbishop has been accused of lying in court over his knowledge of sexual abuse cases in the church. Woelki has denied the allegations.
The raids began at 8 a.m. local time with police searching four properties in Cologne as well as one property each in Kassel and the town of Lohfelden in Hesse. Around 30 police officers were involved in the raids.
Police also raided the premises of the IT company that supplies the email service for the archdiocese.
The searches were met with cooperation, with Woelki himself opening the door to the police at the archbishop's residence, public broadcaster WDR reported.
The case revolves around the promotion of a priest to a high position in the city of Düsseldorf who has been accused of numerous counts of sexual abuse against minors.
Woelki said he had only known about the abuse cases since last year. However, a former employee said she had drawn up a list of abusers for Woelki in 2015 but "that didn't interest the cardinal at all."
https://www.dw.com/en/german-police-raid...a-66040780
Police and prosecutors in the German city of Cologne carried out raids on properties belonging to the local Catholic Church archdiocese on Tuesday as a part of a probe into Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.
The archbishop has been accused of lying in court over his knowledge of sexual abuse cases in the church. Woelki has denied the allegations.
The raids began at 8 a.m. local time with police searching four properties in Cologne as well as one property each in Kassel and the town of Lohfelden in Hesse. Around 30 police officers were involved in the raids.
Police also raided the premises of the IT company that supplies the email service for the archdiocese.
The searches were met with cooperation, with Woelki himself opening the door to the police at the archbishop's residence, public broadcaster WDR reported.
The case revolves around the promotion of a priest to a high position in the city of Düsseldorf who has been accused of numerous counts of sexual abuse against minors.
Woelki said he had only known about the abuse cases since last year. However, a former employee said she had drawn up a list of abusers for Woelki in 2015 but "that didn't interest the cardinal at all."
https://www.dw.com/en/german-police-raid...a-66040780
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
