A statue of late German Cardinal Franz Hengsbach will likely be faraway from outside a cathedral in western Germany after allegations of sexual abuse against him surfaced, Catholic church officials said Friday.
A memorial for victims of sexual abuse will likely be created to take the place of the statue, which was erected in 2011, German news agency dpa reported, citing Thomas Zander, the dean of the cathedral of town of Essen.
The move got here after several hours of closed-door deliberations.
The controversy across the statue, which is situated just outside Essen Cathedral, was sparked on Tuesday when the German Dioceses of Essen and Paderborn announced that that they had began investigations into at the very least three sexual abuse allegations brought against Hengsbach.
Two allegations date back to the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties. The first case alleges that Hengsbach abused a 16-year-old girl in 1954 while he was still an auxiliary bishop within the German city of Paderborn. The second case dates back to 1967 when he allegedly assaulted one other woman during his time in Essen when he was already a bishop.
The latest allegations were made by a 3rd victim in October 2022.
Hengsbach founded the Diocese of Essen in 1958 which he led until his death in 1991 at age 80.
