A participant of a rally of the initiative Maria 2.0 holds a poster with the inscription 'No offices for cover-ups' in front of the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. (Henning Kaiser/dpa via AP)

Cologne Catholic church holds penance service on sex abuse

Accountability
World
Nov 18, 2021

Germany's Roman Catholic archdiocese of Cologne held a service of penance for cases of sexual abuse by clergy, saying the ritual was not an absolution for the perpetrators but a "confession of guilt."

German archbishop offers to resign after abuse criticism

Accountability
People
World
Mar 18, 2021

A report commissioned by Germany’s Cologne archdiocese on church officials’ handling of past cases of sexual abuse found 75 cases in which high-ranking officials neglected their duties. The findings on Thursday prompted the archbishop of Hamburg to offer his resignation to Pope Francis.