+++ Trigger warning +++ This video deals with physical and sexual violence against children.
Women and men openly report on camera what was done to them as children in institutions in the 1960s and 1970s. According to the accounts of former children in institutions, brutal sexual assaults and rapes by priests and nuns occurred repeatedly – ​​the victims still suffer the consequences today. For decades, those affected remained silent – ​​out of fear, shame, but also the worry that no one would believe them. Now several former children in institutions are breaking their silence.
And the allegations they make are far-reaching: Nuns apparently played a greater role in the abuse than previously known: Victims report sexual assaults by sisters. Furthermore, nuns are accused of not only turning a blind eye when church members abused children in institutions, but of even leading the children to the perpetrators. And there is also the allegation of ritual sexual abuse.
A new dimension to the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is emerging.

Robert Waldheim says he went through hell as a child. The man's real name is different; his name was changed for his protection. He once ran a successful auto repair shop with over 60 employees. Until a few years ago, his memories returned. Memories of his time at Villa Maffei in Feldafing, a children's home run by the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (Parity Welfare Association). He makes serious accusations against the home's staff and clergy: "The two directors were the worst. They sometimes locked us in the basement every week. So we would be available to other people who would sexually assault us. The village priest was one of them." He was distributed to various places and to various people. He was repeatedly abused and raped. For example, after the consecration of the Holy Cross Church in Feldafing in 1965, when he and other children were given to priests around Lake Starnberg.

Together with two fellow sufferers and his therapist Jörg Jaegers, Robert Waldheim has now returned to Feldafing to revisit the old church in the town center. It was "hell," he exclaims as he enters the church. Robert Waldheim has particularly bad memories of the sacristy. He claims he was abused there many times, and several people were involved. He names the parish priest as the main perpetrator.

The Diocese of Augsburg has investigated Robert Waldheim's case and made financial payments to him "in recognition of his suffering." The responsible organization for the former home, the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband Bayern (Paritätische Welfare Association of Bavaria), plans to establish a scientific commission to investigate the incident this fall. "We consider the reports credible and immediately decided to initiate a process of coming to terms with the past," says Margit Berndl of the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband Bayern (Paritätische Welfare Association of Bavaria).

Reporters for the BR political magazine "Kontrovers" have spoken with several former children from the home who experienced similar things. They say they were often severely mistreated and sexually abused in their homes. The alleged perpetrators, often nuns and priests, are deceased in most cases, and the statute of limitations has almost always expired.

Authors: Sebastian Kemnitzer, Gabriele Knetsch

BR will continue to monitor the issue. Those affected can contact the editorial team at kontrovers@br.de.

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