In 2015, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki from Cologne personally shredded a list of priests who were suspected of being abused. This was confirmed by the Archdiocese of Cologne. The destruction was done for privacy reasons. The Archdiocese emphasized that no information was lost as a result, since the original files are still available. The “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” had reported.
According to the Archdiocese, in 2015, shortly after taking office in Cologne, Woelki had an Excel spreadsheet with the names of the priests who had been accused of sexual abuse presented to him. It also listed payments made to victims of abuse in recognition of their suffering.
