Cologne prosecutors let Cardinal Woelki pay €26,000 to end his false-oath abuse probe
Cologne prosecutors spent about two and a half years investigating whether Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne, made false sworn statements about when he learned of abuse allegations against priests. In May 2025 they concluded he had made false statements negligently, including sworn testimony at the Cologne Regional Court in 2023 that was 'objectively untrue', and that there was sufficient suspicion to indict him. Instead they discontinued the case in exchange for a €26,000 payment to a charity, with the court's and Woelki's agreement, citing his clean record and the burden of the proceedings. Senior prosecutor Ulrich Bremer said a conviction would probably have followed. Woelki denied all allegations and remains archbishop.
Ermittlungen gegen ihn würden eingestellt
wahrscheinlich gewesen
Woelki has always denied all allegations; the archdiocese said he did not lie.
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