So far it has been agreed that churchmen covered up cases of child abuse because they feared for the reputation of the church.
But now there is a new suspicion: is God’s ground staff blackmailing each other? Do acquaintances tend to remain silent out of fear for their OWN reputation?
The suspicion arises from the new Munich abuse report. The reviewers have identified “closely knit networks” – right up to “prominent positions in the hierarchy of the professorship”.
▶︎ The report states: “In view of the rigid stance of the Catholic Church on questions of homosexuality, knowing about the homosexual tendencies of a fellow priest gives those who have this knowledge a considerable opportunity to exert influence or have the potential for (possibly even mutual) blackmail.”
Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx (68) said on Thursday that it was now “very urgent” that the topic of homosexuality be discussed among priests.
Marx: “Any potential for blackmail must be dried up.”