Searches were conducted simultaneously at 8 a.m. local time by some 30 police officers and four public prosecutors at a total of six locations, including the premises of the vicariate general and the archbishop’s house, as well as at the business premises of the IT service provider that manages the email traffic of the Archdiocese of Cologne.
According to CNA Deutsch, prosecutors said the operation was “carried out without incident.”
The archdiocese’s press office confirmed the searches, adding: “Experience has shown that it will take some time before the results are available. Until then, we ask the public not to take an open-ended investigation as an opportunity to make preliminary judgments.”
The prosecutor’s office emphasized in a statement on Tuesday that the measures were aimed at clarifying an initial suspicion with a view to establishing both incriminating and exculpatory circumstances. “At this stage of the proceedings, the presumption of innocence, which must be observed in criminal proceedings until a final judgment is rendered, is particularly important.”
“To avoid any misunderstandings, it should be noted that the accused is not being charged with covering up or participating in any acts of abuse,” the prosecutor said.
Woelki has been under intense public pressure to step down as leader of Cologne, which is Germany’s largest and reportedly also its richest diocese.
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