Overview
- Friedhelm Hofmann apologized in a letter read at Höchberg services and said he takes personal responsibility for his 2010 decisions.
- Diocesan leaders knew by 2010 of two victims linked to the Höchberg priest yet did not inform the parish.
- Required church procedures were bypassed, including a preliminary inquiry and a documented report to Rome, and the priest was not removed from office or the parsonage.
- Criminal prosecution of the priest is impossible because he is deceased, and a 2022 review of potential offenses by church officials was closed for lack of sufficient initial suspicion.
- The diocese says phase one of its internal reconstruction is complete, and the Höchberg parish council will meet on March 18 to begin a community-focused second phase.