German court rejects compensation claim in Catholic Church abuse case

A German court on Tuesday rejected a sexual abuse survivor's claim for €830,000 ($980,000) in compensation, ruling that the Catholic Church cannot be held liable for the actions of a priest outside his “official capacity.”

The Cologne Regional Court controversially ruled that the accused priest committed these crimes outside the exercise of his official duties and “more or less as a private individual.” The court also found no evidence of misconduct by the Archdiocese of Cologne itself.

The 58-year-old woman was sexually abused by the priest in the 1980s while she was under his care as a foster daughter. According to her lawyer, the abuse continued for six years. When she became pregnant at age 15, the priest took her to a gynecologist under false pretenses, and an abortion was performed without her knowledge.

The perpetrator, identified as Hans Bernhand Uedelhoven in local media, sexually assaulted numerous girls over a period of approximately 40 years. In 2022, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for these crimes.

However, the Archdiocese of Cologne has contested the compensation claim, arguing that it can only be held responsible for offenses carried out by its full-time staff during the exercise of their official duties.