Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne has scored another legal win against German tabloid newspaper Bild, which was prohibited on Wednesday from reporting in a manner objected to by Woelki.
The Regional Court of Cologne ruled that Woelki's personal rights had been violated by Bild last year.
The archdiocese of Cologne has been in crisis since Woelki decided in 2020 to hold off on publishing an expert report on the handling of child sexual abuse cases by members of the clergy. He cited legal reasons for his decision and commissioned a new report.
According to the court on Wednesday, Bild wrote last year that "a previously secret report from the poison cabinet of the archbishopric" required explanation by Woelki.
The court ruled that it was wrong that an anonymous report sent to the archbishopric in 2012 was kept secret until today.
In addition, the publishing house was banned from reporting on a suspected cover-up in the handling of suspected abuse cases.
Although there is clear public interest in reporting on the extent of the abuse allegations against German priests and on Woelki's participation in the investigation, the Bild article constituted inadmissible reporting on the basis of suspicion, judges found.
Talk of a "cover-up 'mafia'", would suggest to the reader that a clique at the top of the archdiocese had systematically collaborated to cover up sexual violence, the court said. Solid reporting principles had not been observed here.
