The leader of the German Protestant Church, Annette Kurschus, suspected of covering up sexual abuse, announced her resignation this Monday during a press conference in Bielefeld, the channel reported. RTL.
According to RTLIn the 1990s, Kuršus was told about allegations of sexual abuse made against his former colleague. The 60-year-old leader denied knowledge of the attacks but decided to step down “so as not to tarnish the image of the Church.”
The suspect is currently the subject of a police investigation. “[A suspeita] It falls on a person whose family I have been friends with for a long time,” Annette said at a press conference. However, the exact nature of the attacks has not yet been revealed.
Kuršus said she never sought to evade responsibility, hide the facts or cover up the accused, arguing that she was trying to protect the suspect’s family, but she was criticized “for a lack of transparency.”
“I wish 25 years ago I would have been as alert, educated and sensitive to the behavioral issues that plague me today,” she said.
The German Catholic Church has been in crisis for several years due to allegations of sexual abuse.