Study reveals German dioceses ignored spiritual abuse warnings

A research project presented on September 25 in Münster found that the dioceses of Münster and Osnabrück allowed themselves to be blinded by the spiritual success of specific religious communities. This attitude minimized reports and delayed effective protection measures against spiritual abuse. The study, titled Power through Charisma, was directed by Judith Könemann, a religion pedagogy professor at the University of Münster. It systematically analyzes spiritual abuse within Catholic communities for the first time. The investigation focused on two groups: Totus Tuus Neuevangelisierung, which emerged in the Münster diocese in the 1990s and was officially recognized in 2007, and the Christusgemeinschaft, linked to the Franciscans of Thuine and active in the Osnabrück diocese.

The researchers based their work on more than 600 pages of analysis, 117 interviews, and diocesan archives. Of the interviews, 81 were conducted with victims. The study concludes that church authorities acted with excessive caution. In Münster, Bishop Felix Genn initially showed disinterest in alerts regarding Totus Tuus, though he later acted with more force, leading to the community's prohibition in 2021. In Osnabrück, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode maintained a highly ambivalent attitude toward the Christusgemeinschaft. He promoted a dialogue process that created an imbalance between effort and results, delaying clear decisions. He even ordained a dozen candidates close to the group, a strategy the researchers described as a failed embrace. The diocese responded to criticism with delays and vague promises.

The study defines spiritual abuse as illegitimate interference in another person's spiritual life, driven by power interests. It involves exercising control over an individual's conscience and interior life through specific doctrine or spirituality. This often invites total openness, resulting in the renunciation of the self. The abuse is exercised through pressure, humiliation, withdrawal of affection, and the breaking of contacts. In many cases, it also affects daily aspects such as the clothing or sexuality of female members. Theology is frequently instrumentalized, with concepts like obedience, humility, and surrender becoming tools of control. The researchers note that certain traditional ideas may contain a potential for vulnerability that facilitates these abuses. The work does not provide specific figures, as that was not its objective.

The study offers preventive recommendations inspired by measures against sexual abuse. These include institutional protection concepts, specialized contact persons, and periodic, genuine visitations to communities. It also calls for quality standards in spiritual accompaniment and the need to classify spiritual abuse as a crime in both civil and canon law. Könemann emphasized that spiritual communities are not idyllic places or safe spaces. Any community, including spiritual ones, is susceptible to abuses of power. The investigation was commissioned and funded by the dioceses of Münster and Osnabrück, the German Bishops' Conference, and the Franciscans of Thuine. These institutions stated they recognize the suffering of the victims and that the study will provide important clues to prevent new cases. They can officially speak on the matter starting October 5.

On the same day, another investigation was presented in Bonn, offering a complementary perspective. This study, conducted by the Institute for Practical Research and Project Consulting in Munich, analyzed the long path of the former northwestern province of the Redemptorists since 2010. It was one of the first cases where a German Catholic institution acted with relative speed, seeking and connecting victims and publishing information more openly. However, the balance is ambivalent. While creating networks helped many affected people situate their experiences, intense conflicts, especially around the Collegium Josephinum in Bonn, caused new wounds, exhaustion, and resignation. A central problem was the lack of clear and shared objectives for the process. There was also a certain marginalization of female victims and a gradual, cautious withdrawal of the order's leadership after the initial push in 2010 and 2011. Experts recommend well-defined goals, responsibilities, conflict management mechanisms, and a clear timeframe for future clarification processes. They argue that reparation should be institutionally anchored and sufficiently resourced, rather than depending on the commitment of specific individuals. Both works, presented on September 25, 2026, illustrate the complexity of abuse in the German Catholic sphere, involving not just individual acts but power structures and illusions about pastoral success.