The Regional Superior Court of Cologne (Oberlandesgericht) considers that the German archdiocese could be held liable for the sexual abuse committed for years by a priest against a minor who later came under his care as a foster daughter. At the hearing held last Thursday, October 15, the judges indicated that compensation between 500,000 and 600,000 euros could be appropriate, although the final decision will not be known until November 26.
According to the German Catholic news agency KNA, the court’s assessment represents a shift from the first-instance ruling, which had dismissed the claim on the grounds that the perpetrator had acted as a private individual and not in the exercise of his priestly ministry.
If the announced amount is confirmed, it would be the largest compensation awarded so far by a German court in a comparable case of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
The court questions the archdiocese’s defense
The plaintiff, identified as Melanie F., suffered sexual abuse during her childhood and adolescence, from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. The perpetrator was a clergyman who initially had a pastoral relationship with her and later took her into his home along with another minor from a children’s home.
The placement was authorized by the then Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joseph Höffner, according to information published by the German public broadcaster WDR.
In July 2025, the Regional Court of Cologne rejected the woman’s claim, ruling that the abuse had occurred in the perpetrator’s private sphere, in his capacity as a foster father, and that civil liability could therefore not be attributed to the archdiocese.
However, the appellate court has questioned that interpretation.
“We believe the judgment requires correction,” said the presiding judge, Ralf-Peter Sossna, during the hearing.
The judges noted that some of the abuse began before the clergyman formally assumed the role of foster father. They also considered it relevant that his position within the Church had facilitated the trust placed in him and the opportunity to take charge of the minors.
According to the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper, Sossna described the priestly ministry as an excellent cover used by the perpetrator. The court finds it difficult to imagine that the foster-care arrangement could have taken place under the same conditions if the man had not belonged to the Church.
The perpetrator was dismissed from the clerical state in 2023
The perpetrator was sentenced in February 2022 to twelve years in prison for numerous sexual offenses committed against other minors. The acts suffered by Melanie F. were time-barred under criminal law and were not part of that conviction.
Subsequently, on July 6, 2023, the Archdiocese of Cologne announced that Pope Francis had ordered the convicted man’s dismissal from the clerical state, after Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki requested the measure in 2022.
At the time, the archbishop expressed satisfaction with Rome’s decision, while acknowledging that the sanction could not repair the suffering caused to the victims.
The archdiocese’s civil liability, however, continued to be the subject of judicial controversy.
In August 2025, following the ruling in favor of the institution, Woelki recalled that, according to the Catholic understanding of the priesthood, a presbyter does not simply cease to be at the service of God and of others when his workday ends.
The archdiocese itself clarified at the time that this theological consideration had not been decisive for the judicial outcome. It also noted that it had waived the statute of limitations defense to allow the case to be examined.
During the appeal hearing on October 15, the archdiocese’s lawyer, Jörn Quadflieg, argued that the attribution of civil liability depended on a legal assessment and that the interpretation previously adopted by the Regional Court could also be considered defensible.
Compensation that could double the 2023 precedent
Melanie F. is claiming at least 830,000 euros for the damages suffered. The court, however, provisionally considers that an amount between 500,000 and 600,000 euros would better align with the criteria applied by German case law.
The panel took into account the duration and severity of the abuse, as well as its consequences for the victim’s life, including two pregnancies and subsequent abortions, according to reports from the hearing.
The plaintiff has already received 360,000 euros through the voluntary recognition benefits system established by the German Catholic Church. The court indicated that this amount must be deducted from any eventual court-awarded compensation, so it would not constitute a new full payment of 500,000 or 600,000 euros.
To date, the largest compensation awarded in a comparable case was the 300,000 euros granted in 2023 by the Regional Court of Cologne to Georg Menne, a former altar boy who suffered numerous abuses by a priest during his childhood.
The victims’ association Eckiger Tisch has welcomed the court’s assessment. Its director, Matthias Katsch, considered that the case could set an important precedent for other victims seeking to claim liability in civil courts.
“We are relieved and pleased with this decision,” Katsch said, thanking the plaintiff for her perseverance throughout the years of litigation.
The ruling scheduled for November 26 will determine whether the archdiocese’s liability is confirmed and what the final amount of compensation will be.
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