Diocese of Fulda: Coming to terms with sexual violence – first steps presented!

Diocese of Fulda: Coming to terms with sexual violence – first steps presented!

The diocese of Fulda is serious: dealing with sexual violence is a top priority. As became clear in a press conference on June 28, 2025 in the Bonifatiushaus, Bishop Dr. Michael Gerber and his colleagues Beate Lopatta-Lazar, human resources manager, and vicar general Dr. Martin Stanke on their commitment. Your goal? A comprehensive understanding of the grievances identified and the consistent implementation of the recommendations from the final report of the Independent Commission for the Comprehension of Sexual Abuse, which was published on June 17, 2025. This report reveals the suffering those affected have experienced and where the church has failed in the past. The evaluation of over 800 personnel files also made it clear that many crimes were only inadequately prosecuted, which deeply shocked the diocese leadership.

During the press conference, Bishop Gerber not only had a sense of responsibility, but also emphasized the apologetic tone that he had already adopted when presenting the report. He announced two meetings with the Commission in order to understand the recommendations in more detail and to derive appropriate measures. In his eyes, the reform of priestly training is a particular focus. Here, human maturity and healthy personality development should be emphasized as prerequisites for ordination to the priesthood. The current practice of ordaining priests despite problematic behavior should come to an end. Since taking office, Gerber has already removed six priests from ministry, two of them because of sexual violence. His active participation in the German Bishops' Conference is a further building block in reforming the structures.

A long-term process of change

But the diocese is doing even more: According to Diocese of Fulda, numerous preventative measures have already been installed in recent years. This includes protection concepts in the parishes, comprehensive training and the appointment of independent contact persons for those affected. The aim is to achieve holistic personnel management that not only makes the church service safer, but also promotes positive development for the employees. “We have to face reality,” emphasized Gerber and called for measures to limit the damage and avoid repeats in the future.

The structural dimension of abuse is brought to the fore by Vicar General Stanke. He also announced a new specialist office that will take care of these issues. The development of these new structures does not take place in secret, but is critically monitored by a joint advisory board for those affected. This exchange is important in order to include relevant perspectives of those affected in the implementation of the recommendations.

A look outside the box

According to commissioned-misuse.de, the Evangelical Church in Germany aims to also establish individual structures for dealing with sexualized violence. In this context, the ForuM research project was launched, which aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the structures in the churches and the conditions that promote sexual violence. In addition to the reprocessing in the diocese of Fulda, developments in the Protestant churches are also important. Many church institutions face similar challenges and need structures that can effectively address these grievances.

In order to always have an open ear for those affected, the diocese of Fulda has set up a hotline that can be reached until July 2, 2025. In this way, tips can be received and protection concepts can be further developed, which represents a further step towards a more transparent and courageous church response. It will therefore be exciting to see how the diocese's efforts develop and what concrete measures will be taken soon.