FULDA, Germany (AP) - Germany's Roman Catholic Church on Friday apologized to victims of sexual abuse by its priests, admitting it failed to address the problem adequately in the past but pledging new vigilance in the future.
Bishops meeting in the central city of Fulda this week agreed on new guidelines for handling sexual abuse by priests, promised in response to a spate of abuse cases worldwide that have troubled Pope John Paul II and shaken the Roman Catholic Church.
"When a clergyman abuses a child or youth, he darkens the Christian message and the credibility of the church," the German Bishops' Conference said in a prepared statement.
A lack of understanding of the problem meant that "often there was an inappropriate reaction. With regard to the victims, we are deeply sorry about this," the church said.
Some German priests have been convicted of abusing children in the past decade, but no major sex-abuse scandal has hit the German church — in contrast to other countries like the United States and Poland.
In June, America's Roman Catholic bishops approved a policy allowing them to keep sexually abusive clergy in the priesthood but barring them from face-to-face contact with parishioners.
Previously, the German church left it up to each diocese to deal with priests accused of molestation and had no nationwide data on such offenders.
Cardinal Karl Lehmann, the conference head, refused to speculate on the number of possible abuse cases in Germany. But he admitted that until a few years ago, priests suspected of abuse were shuffled off to different parishes instead of being investigated.
In the future, each bishop will nominate a church official to investigate all allegations and suspicions of abuse of minors by priests. The nominated official will talk to suspected priests and the victims in the presence of a church lawyer.
Priests found to have abused minors will undergo therapy and be reassigned to duties keeping them away from children. In serious cases, they could be defrocked.
The church also will report abuse cases to state prosecutors if the priest refuses to approach authorities himself. Bishops will be informed of all cases.
"Through these guidelines, we are convinced that we will bring objectivity and transparency into individual cases, and thereby restore trust and credibility lost through the handling of certain cases in the past," Lehmann said.
The bishops also agreed to intensify priests' training, which already includes assistance for dealing with sexuality and recognizing signs of improper sexual behavior.