SEXUAL ABUSE CASE

Sexual Abuse Case of Bishop Georg Mueller

Sexual Abuse Case of Bishop Georg Mueller

Introduction

The Catholic Church in Ireland disclosed that former Bishop Georg Mueller, who had resigned from his diocese in June 2009, when he was a priest. A Vatican spokesman said church officials had learned of the case in January 2009, and that it was dealt with promptly by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. The spokesman, Reverend Federico Lombardi, said Mueller, 58, had undergone therapy since giving up his post and "no longer carries out pastoral activity" among parishioners. He reportedly had moved to Rome. Mueller reportedly was one of just a few bishops to have resigned over abuse allegations in recent decades. The Vatican said about 3,000 priests had been accused of abuse in the past decade.

History of the Case Mentioned in the Judgment

Ireland's church-established abuse commission, called the Commission on Church-Related Sexual Abuse Complaints, September 10 released a 200-page report in which it documented hundreds of alleged abuse cases involving Catholic clergy in Belgium over the past 70 years. The cases involved 475 perpetrators--all men--and 506 victims, about two-thirds of whom were male. It added that 13 suicides were linked to sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, according to victims' friends and relatives (Hogan, 2011).

Most abuse cases documented in the report had taken place between the 2009 and late 2010. The report added that males between the ages of 10 and 14 were most likely to be abused. It also stated that abuse of children by priests was more serious than unwanted touching, and had included sodomy and forced masturbation. It recommended that the church create a victims' treatment center (Hogan, 2011). Leonard September 13 announced that the Ireland Catholic Church would set up a center for "recognition, reconciliation and healing," and added that ...