Latest news with #RainerMariaWoelki
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
College of Cardinals meet Wednesday, could elect a new pope within hours, days
The upcoming papal conclave has experts engaged in fervent discussion about the Catholic church's sacred voting process will unfold While some Vatican watchers suggest we could see a longer than usual conclave, others have signaled they think it will be short, like it has been during the last handful of times. 'Maximum three days,' predicted Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez. However, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, Germany, said he expects the conclave 'won't go as quickly as the last conclave.' The the diversity of this year's conclave has also commanded attention, as well as the fact that many cardinals are unfamiliar with each other, which could lead to a lengthier vote than during recent conclaves of the past. The vast majority of the 133 cardinal-electors will be participating in a conclave for the first time, according to Reuters, which noted around 80% of the participants were appointed by Pope Francis. Meanwhile, per the Religion News Service, this conclave's College of Cardinals is the most geographically diverse in centuries. 'I wouldn't panic if we don't have a pope by the end of day two, but if there still isn't any white smoke by the end of the third day, then we start to get worried,' said Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and Vatican commentator.
Straits Times
06-05-2025
- Straits Times
German cardinal to pay fee to settle perjury probe related to abuse case
FILE PHOTO: Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, gives an update on the consequences and measures taken after an independent report on abuse cases at the Cologne archdiocese was released last week in Cologne, Germany, March 23, 2021. Oliver Berg/Pool via REUTERS BERLIN - One of Germany's most senior clerics, part of the conclave gathering to elect a new pope, must pay 26,000 euros ($29,500) to a charity to settle an allegation of perjury linked to a historic case of sexual abuse, prosecutors said on Tuesday. They added they would end their investigation into the cardinal on condition of the payment being made. Cardinal Rainer Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, was under investigation for testimony he gave about abuse committed by a priest who died in 2019. The probe found reasonable suspicion that the cardinal had made false statements on two occasions during his legal dispute with the Bild tabloid in August 2022 and March 2023, the Cologne prosecutor said in a statement. The false statements were, however, attributed to negligence. "I am pleased and grateful that we have now come to a conclusion. We can now devote all our energy to the challenging tasks of the future," Woelki said in a statement published by the Archdiocese of Cologne. The prosecutor decided against pursuing charges and a possible short prison sentence for the 68-year-old Woelki, instead ordering that he pay the fee to a charitable organisation that is not part of the church. Woelki accepts the end of the proceedings under the condition set by the prosecutor, thus waiving his right to have the allegations clarified in court, the archdiocese said. If the fee is not paid by the end of the month, the prosecutor said it would resume its investigation and pursue charges. The Catholic Church in Germany has for years struggled to deal with the fallout of historic abuse and criticism that senior clergy failed to act when first told about it. A report in 2021 found that in Cologne alone, Germany's largest archdiocese, there had been more than 200 abusers and more than 300 victims, mostly under the age of 14, between 1975 and 2018. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German cardinal will not face perjury charges over abuse allegations
German Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki will not face perjury charges in connection with allegations of abuse by Catholic priests, the Cologne public prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. Woelki, who serves as archbishop of Cologne, has faced investigations for more than two years over claims he made false remarks in a sworn statement about when he became aware of the allegations in his archdiocese. Investigators found that Woelki - who is due to participate in the conclave to choose a successor to pope Francis in the Vatican this week - did make false statements, but out of negligence, and not intentionally. The investigations into him have now been dropped, the prosecutors said, but Woelki must pay €26,000 ($29,450) to a charitable organization. In one case, Woelki claimed that he first dealt with allegations against deceased priest Winfried Pilz in June 2022. However, according to the public prosecutor's office, his WhatsApp account showed that he was aware of the case in 2019 at the latest. Ultimately, however, it could not be proven with the necessary certainty that he remembered his actions when he submitted his affidavit in 2022. In a hearing before the Cologne Regional Court in 2023, Woelki also made a statement over separate sexual assaults that was deemed "objectively untrue" by prosecutors. Woelki's statement that he had signed a letter dealing with the matter without having read it was "refuted on the basis of numerous pieces of evidence." However, intentional behaviour could not be proven with the necessary certainty, the prosecutors added. The main reason for the decision not to press charges against Woelki was that the 68-year-old cleric had no previous criminal record, the prosecutors said. In the course of the investigation, the archbishop's residence in Cologne was searched in 2023. The Cologne Regional Court and Woelki have both approved the prosecutors' decision. Woelki is already in Rome ahead of the papal conclave, which is due to begin on Wednesday. He is one of over 130 cardinals eligible to elect the new pontiff.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German cardinal pays tribute to pope as 'tireless advocate for weak'
One of Germany's most senior Catholic figures, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, paid tribute to the deceased pope as a "tireless advocate for the weak and marginalized." "We will miss his constant reminder of social justice and the preservation of creation as our common home, as well as his impetus for synodal cooperation in the Church and for proclaiming the Gospel to all people," Woelki said on Monday after Pope Francis died at the age of 88. Shortly after his death was announced, St Peter's bell, the largest bell in Cologne Cathedral, rang out as a sign of mourning and sympathy.
