196 clerics in the Diocese of Münster sexually abused at least 610 minors between 1945 and 2020, a new report has found. The figure represents 4% of the priests who served in the diocese during that time period, which is comparable to the findings of the 2004 John Jay report, which examined abuse by Catholic clergy in the United States between 1950 and 2002.

The Münster report also criticized the “massive leadership failure” in the diocese between 1947 and 2008. The bishops of Münster during those years were Bishop Michael Keller (1947-1961), Cardinal Joseph Höffner (1962-1969), Bishop Heinrich Tenhumberg (1969-1979), and Bishop Reinhard Lettmann (1980-2008).