Hermann Geißler (theologian)

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Hermann Geissler

Hermann Geißler (born June 12, 1965 in Hall in Tirol ) is an Austrian Roman Catholic theologian and religious priest . He was head of the teaching department of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome for nine and a half years and resigned from his post in early 2019 after allegations of sexual harassment of a religious woman became public. He is also named director of the International Center of Newman Friends, an institution in Rome run by members of the spiritual family “The Work” (FSO).

Life

Career

Hermann Geißler comes from a Tyrolean mountain farmer family . After studying theology and philosophy at the Collegium Rudolphinum in Heiligenkreuz near Vienna from 1983 and after completing his doctorate at the Lateran University in Rome with Cardinal John Henry Newman on the subject of conscience and truth , he was ordained a priest in 1991 and then worked for two years as a pastor in an Austrian parish in the diocese of Feldkirch . According to his own statement, the reading of the book Rapporto sulla fede (German: On the situation of the faith ), which contains a conversation held in the summer of 1984 between the then Prefect of the Faith Joseph Ratzinger and the Italian author Vittorio Messori , was formative for his theological path . Since 1988 Geissler has belonged to the spiritual family "Das Werk" ( Familia Spiritualis Opus ), a spiritual community founded by Julia Verhaeghe in 1938 and papally recognized in 2001, which is particularly dedicated to "serving healthy religious doctrine". Around Easter 1993 he was called to Rome by his superiors and introduced to Cardinal Ratzinger, who accepted the 27-year-old priest as a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where he remained active for almost 26 years. In Rome he also took over the management of an international meeting center run by his community. In the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Geissler worked at Cardinal Ratzinger's side from 1993 to 2005 and gained a reputation for being an expert on the latter. Even after Ratzinger's papal election, he had access to his secretary Georg Gänswein . In 2008 he was in discussion as the successor to the German Christoph Kühn, who had been dismissed by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone , to head the German-speaking department of the General Section of the Vatican State Secretariat , but failed due to resistance from Ratzinger's former head housekeeper, Ingrid Stampa , who was employed by the State Secretariat. On August 4, 2009, Geissler was received by Pope Benedict XVI. appointed head of office ( Capo Ufficio ), one of the three department heads in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Head of the teaching department

As head of office, who ranks on the fourth management level in the hierarchy of the dicastery, immediately behind the prefect , the secretary and the undersecretary of the congregation, Geissler influenced decisions and discussions on various doctrinal and moral issues. In April 2018, for example, together with the Prefect, Archbishop Luis Ladaria , as the representative of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he was involved in a meeting with representatives of the German Bishops' Conference in Rome, which was well received in the church media , at which the aim was to clarify a doctrinal dispute among the bishops about receiving communion by non-Catholics Christian spouse of Catholics went.

The closely familiar with the affairs of the Congregation Vatican correspondent Guido Horst reported in connection with the resignation Geissler in January 2019 from speculation that he and Deputy Ministers in the autumn of 2018 in the attempted dismissal of the re-elected rector of the Jesuit College of St. Georgen , Ansgar Wucherpfennig SJ , by Denial of the nihil obstat could have been involved. The Undersecretary of the Vatican Education Congregation , which is actually responsible for this , Friedrich Bechina , is also an Austrian and an FSO member.

On January 29, 2019, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith confirmed Geissler's resignation from office, which Geissler had submitted the day before "in order to avert further damage to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and its community".

Allegations, investigations, church acquittal

At the beginning of 2019, according to the Vatican spokesman, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith carried out investigations after a broader public became aware in autumn 2018 of the allegations of sexual harassment raised since 2012 by a former religious sister who belonged to the same community as Geissler. It is about an incident in 2009 in which the priest is said to have harassed the religious woman during a confession. What is considered explosive about the case is the fact that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is the body within the Vatican that investigates cases of sexual abuse by clergy and is responsible for canonical measures in the event of abuse offenses. However, Geissler was not active in the department in question.

When submitting his resignation on January 28, 2019, Geissler denied the allegations and asked that the canonical procedure be continued until clarification. According to documents submitted to the liberal Catholic online newspaper National Catholic Reporter , however, he is said to have admitted assaults before February 2014. The conservative Catholic weekly newspaper Die Tagespost reported that a canonical investigation of the case had already taken place in 2012/13 under the leadership of Charles Scicluna , the church prosecutor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, responsible for "serious crimes" ( delicti graviora ) , which Geißler had exonerated. According to his own statements, the victim was not heard in either the then or the new proceedings. It was only in February 2019 that she received an invitation from the Apostolic Signature , the Vatican's highest court of justice, to be questioned on the case.

The Jesuit Father Klaus Mertes had already pointed out in 2015, with reference to a book publication by the victim, that a department head in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is one of the alleged perpetrators from the order who are accused by the former member. In this connection, he accused the then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Müller , of inaction and silence, as he knew about the accused who was not yet known by name to the public and was taking no action. The journalist Guido Horst, however, spoke after Geissler's resignation of a "witch hunt" exploited by church politics and denied that the alleged acts should be "put in the ' sexual abuse ' drawer ", although they could be described as unwise or embarrassing.

A few days after Geissler's resignation, there was an encounter between the Viennese Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and the abuse victim Doris Wagner on Bayerischer Rundfunk . Schönborn confessed that he believed her portrayal of her abuse experiences. Hermann Geißler's behavior was also discussed in the conversation with Wagner. When asked how one should explain the fact that Geissler denies his actions and, as evidenced by the Vatican statement, even wants to reserve “legal steps”, Schönborn said: “He has his conscience, he has to answer for what he says. Yes. Just as you are responsible for what you have said. ”The Vorarlberg religious order“ Das Werk ”reacted with displeasure to the broadcast of the conversation, accused Wagner of a“ campaign with untrue claims ”and criticized Cardinal Schönborn for“ flat rates ”in the opinion of the order's leadership Statement". In contrast, Schönborn emphasized that it is important to let victims know that they will be heard and that they will be believed and that there will be consequences.

The steps announced by Geissler resulted in an injunction by the press chamber of the Hamburg Regional Court in April 2019, which banned the Arte television station , the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the Deutschlandradio from further disseminating the content of the French documentary film God abused servants , sexual abuse and sexualised violence by clerics against religious women is the subject of discussion. The film contained interview passages in which Wagner describes her experiences of abuse in the institute “Das Werk” and, in addition to the sexual advances of another religious priest that she experienced as rape , which took place before her experience with Geissler, also describes his assault from her point of view. According to a spokesman for the order, “Das Werk” had the court order obtained with a view to the personal rights of Priest Geissler, who was accused of sexual assault “innocently” in the film, although his actions had “no sexual connotation”. In other cases described in the film, perpetrators had also committed or initiated acts of abuse in the context of confession .

The persecution of so-called Sollizitation (intimate and provocative acts and sexual harassment by priests in the confessional ), which is one of the most serious canon crimes in connection with the administration of the sacraments , fell even before the new version of the norms on the investigation and punishment of the most serious canon offenses ( Normae de gravioribus delictis ) in 2001 became the responsibility of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and has always been part of the tasks of the Inquisition , its predecessor organization. In addition to the moral component of the offense, such acts were traditionally seen as disregard and dishonor for the sacrament of penance and thus as a sign of the perpetrators' unbelief. The false accusation of a confessor is severely punished under canon law.

Since Geissler was active in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the proceedings against him carried out in 2019, contrary to the usual practice, were given to the Apostolic Signature. In a decision of the court dated May 15, 2019, the jury, consisting of five priests, determined that a canonical “offense of seduction to violate the Sixth Commandment” had not been established and the accused could not be punished. Immediately after receiving his acquittal, Geissler himself gave an interview in which he tried to explain his behavior. The Vatican court confirmed in a statement circulated by the Holy See Press Office on May 17, 2019 that the circumstances of the alleged crime were not sufficiently established to warrant a conviction. The former nun, who, according to the indisputable statements of both sides, “emphatically” declared his affection for Geißler after the confession and pressed her cheek to cheek, criticized on Twitter that she was not heard in the very quickly completed procedure despite the invitation due to lack of time. However, she submitted documents in writing, submitted testimony and asked procedural questions that were not answered. She learned of the decision from Herder's correspondence and was not informed by the Apostolic Signature. The court secretary, the Sicilian church judge Giuseppe Sciacca , who co-signed the letter, is on friendly terms with the community “Das Werk” according to the ex-member and is said to have received gifts from him in the past. No proper appeal is possible against the decision , only a complaint to the Pope . The canon lawyer Thomas Schüller criticized that the person concerned had not been heard by the Apostolic Signature. On June 1, 2019, new legal provisions will come into force, which Pope Francis had enacted in May 2019 with the Motu Proprio Vos estis lux mundi and which in future prohibit church courts from taking action under the obligation of confidentiality on the part of the injured party, as in this case.

Publications

Geissler published a number of articles on the life, spirituality and theology of John Henry Newman, as well as on various current issues of the Church.

monograph

Editorships

  • Conoscere Newman. Introduzione all opere . Urbaniana University Press, Vatican City 2002, ISBN 978-88-401-2069-0 .
  • With Evandro Botto: Una ragionevole fede. Logos e dialogo in John Henry Newman . Vita e Pensiero, Milan 2009, ISBN 978-88-343-1848-5 .
  • The Primacy of God in the Life and Writings of Blessed John Henry Newman (= Louvain Studies 35 / 3–4). Peeters, Löwen 2011
    (double issue of the journal of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at KU Leuven on the subject of John Henry Newman).

Essays and specialist articles

  • John Henry Newman. A word from heart to heart . In: Eberhard von Gemmingen (Hrsg.): Visions of great Christians. Heckling at the turn of the century. Herder, Freiburg i. B. 2000, pp. 138-144.
  • El Cardenal John Henry Newman en el bicentenario del nacimiento . In: Ecclesia 15 (2001), pp. 319-329.
  • Apologia pro vita sua . In: Conoscere Newman. Introduzione alle opere , Urbaniana University Press, Città del Vaticano 2002, pp. 37–58.
  • John Henry Newman. La coscienza e l'assenso alla Verità . In: also with Evandro Botto, Mauro De Gioia CO , Claudio M. Papa (eds.): Rosmini e Newman. Un confronto con la modernità . Il Cittadino, Genua 2006, pp. 47-64.
  • Petrine service today: stumbling block - rock of the church . In: Theologisches July / August 2006, pp. 209–216.
  • Newman e la dettatura del relativismo . In: Vita e Pensiero XC (2007/5), pp. 84-92.
  • The savior of the world and not a rosy start . In: Theologisches November / December 2007, pp. 379–382.
  • Equivoci e rischi della fuga nell'esoterismo . In: Vita e Pensiero XCI (2008/4), pp. 123-128.
  • “Ten thousand difficulties leave no doubt”. For the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman . In: OrdensNachrichten 49 (2010), Issue 5 (PDF; 1.0 MB), pp. 69–78.
  • Custodi e Interpreti della vita. Attualità dell'enciclica Humanae vitae. In: Familia et vita XVI / 1 (2011), pp. 315-319.
  • Conscience and truth in the writings of Blessed John Henry Newman . In: Forum Katholische Theologie 28 (2012), pp. 185–200.
  • Anno della fede, la lezione di Newman . In: Vita e Pensiero XCV (2012/5), pp. 65–74.
  • The Doctrinal Testimony of the Faithful According to John Henry Newman . In: Communio 41 (2012), Heft 6, pp. 669-683 ( reading sample online ).
  • Introduction, in: John Henry Newman: Apologia pro vita sua. 2nd edition, Media Maria Verlag, Illertissen 2013, ISBN 978-3-9811452-9-8 , pp. 19-38.
  • The heart of the apostle according to JH Newman . In: Communio 44 (2015), pp. 189-200.
  • Lo zelo apostolico di san Paolo secondo Newman . In: Urbaniana University Journal 68 (3/2015), pp. 161-174.
  • The Mission of Christians in the World according to John Henry Newman. In: Forum Katholische Theologie 32 (2016), pp. 199–208.
  • Sulla speranza nella vita cristiana. Riflessioni a partire da alcuni discorsi di John Henry Newman . In: Urbaniana University Journal 69 (3/2016), pp. 199-208.
  • Conscience is the original governor of Christ. A look at Newman's teaching on conscience. In: Communio 46 (2017), Heft 5, pp. 466-480 ( reading sample online ).
  • Carlo Caffarra e il dibattito sulla coscienza morale. In: Anthropotes 33 (2017), pp. 681–689.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Letter from Benedict XVI. to P. Hermann Geißler on November 18, 2010 , published on the Vatican website.
  2. ^ The International Center of Newman Friends - Rome ( Memento of August 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ a b Josef Bruckmoser : Celibacy is not given up. In: Salzburger Nachrichten , October 9, 2012, p. 11.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Interview with Włodzimierz Rędzioch , in: Niedziela (Catholic Polish Sunday newspaper), No. 16, Czenstochau 2017 (Italian).
  5. ^ Pope connoisseur Father Hermann Geißler: Benedikt XVI. is our teacher. Cover story in: PUR magazine No. 6 (June 2005), fe-Medienverlag, Kißlegg.
  6. ↑ Primizkelch has the papal blessing. In: Offenburger Tageblatt , February 7, 2008, accessed on January 22, 2019.
  7. ↑ Alexander Smoltczyk : The Pompadour of the Vatican. In: Der Spiegel , June 3, 2008, accessed on January 29, 2019.
  8. ↑ Vatican: Austrians rise in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In: Vatican Radio , August 4, 2009, accessed on January 22, 2019.
  9. ↑ a b c Robert Mickens: Former nun claims CDF official made sexual advances on her during confession. In: La Croix , November 30, 2018, accessed on January 22, 2019.
  10. ^ Meeting of the Faith Commissions of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe ended. In: Zenit , January 15, 2015, accessed January 27, 2019.
  11. ↑ Thomas Söding , Wolfgang Thönissen : Conduct a conversation. Brief introduction to the "orientation aid". In this. (Ed.): Eucharist - Church - Ecumenism. Aspects and backgrounds of the communion dispute ( QD 298). Herder, Freiburg i. B. 2019, ISBN 978-3-451-02298-2 , pp. 41-64 (here: p. 44).
  12. ↑ a b Guido Horst : witch hunt. In: Die Tagespost , January 30, 2019, accessed on the same day.
  13. ↑ a b Comunicato della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , January 29, 2019, accessed January 29, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Abuse: High employee of the Doctrine of the Faith remained in office. In: Katholisch.de , January 22, 2019, accessed on the same day.
  15. ↑ a b c Joshua J. McElwee: Accused priest resigns from Vatican's doctrinal congregation. In: National Catholic Reporter , January 29, 2019, accessed the same day.
  16. ↑ Evelyn Finger , Wolfgang Thielmann , Veronika Völlinger, Marc Widmann: Das Schweigen. In: Die Zeit , No. 40/2018, September 27, 2018.
  17. ↑ a b clergyman is said to have sexually molested the nun during confession. In: Stuttgarter Zeitung , January 29, 2019, accessed on the same day.
  18. ↑ Joseph Bordat : Vatican: Father Hermann Geissler resigns. In: Die Tagespost , January 28, 2019, accessed the next day.
  19. ↑ a b Patricia Averesch: "We victims exert pressure". In: FAZ , February 25, 2019, accessed on February 27, 2019 (interview with Doris Reisinger).
  20. ↑ "There are perpetrators in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith". In: regensburg-digital , June 4, 2015, accessed on January 30, 2019.
  21. ↑ Bayerischer Rundfunk: Schönborn in conversation with abuse victims. Message on Kathpress , February 6, 2019, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  22. ↑ Gudrun Sailer : Abuse: Cardinal Schönborn speaks with ex-religious. In: Vatican News , February 7, 2019, accessed February 11, 2019.
  23. ↑ A woman is fighting for clarification. BR-Mediathek February 6, 2019 (available online until February 6, 2020), quote at minute 28.
  24. ^ The Vorarlberg religious order criticizes Schönborn. In: ORF.at , February 8, 2019, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  25. ↑ Monastery “affected” by Schönborn's statement. In: ORF.at , February 9, 2019, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  26. ↑ Schönborn: "I am not the victim". In: ORF.at , February 8, 2019, accessed on February 11, 2019.
  27. ^ The Catholic community "Das Werk" had the abuse film blocked. In: Katholisch.de , April 27, 2019, accessed on May 18, 2019.
  28. ^ Beatrice Comella: La Inquisición Española. 4th edition, Madrid 2004, p. 157.
  29. ^ Wilhelm Rees : Sollizitation . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 9 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2000, Sp. 713 .
  30. ↑ Lucas Wiegelmann: Vatican court acquits "Werk" Father Hermann Geißler. In: Herder Korrespondenz , May 16, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2019.
  31. ↑ Vatican confirms acquittal of "Das Werk" priest. In: Katholisch.de , May 17, 2019, accessed on the same day.
  32. ↑ Vatican confirms acquittal after accusation of harassment. In: Domradio , May 17, 2019, accessed on the same day.
  33. ↑ Vatican acquits the accused priests of ex-religious Doris Wagner. In: Der Standard , May 17, 2019, accessed on the same day.
  34. ↑ Doris Reisinger (Wagner) : Statement on Twitter on the acquittal of Hermann Geißler, May 16, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2019.
  35. ↑ Vatican washed Father from Austria from abuse. Kleine Zeitung from May 19, 2019
  36. ↑ Fight against abuse - Pope drastically tightened canon law. In: Katholisch.de , May 9, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Geissler, Hermann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian Roman Catholic theologian and religious priest
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH Hall in Tirol