President of the Protestant Church Council resigns
Annette Kurschus, President of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany, has announced her resignation following accusations that she covered up a case of sexual abuse.
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It has been learned that the Siegen public prosecutor's office is investigating a sexual abuse case involving a former church employee in the Siegen region during the 1990s, as well as whether Kurschus, who was working at the same church at the time, covered up the incident.
In a statement to reporters, Kurschus denied the accusations against her that appeared in the German press, stating, "I am resigning from both of my church leadership positions."
Claiming that she had only recently become aware of the prosecutor's investigation and the accusations, Kurschus said, "Prior to this, I had no knowledge of the sexual violence acts committed by the person who was the subject of the complaint."
Pressure on the EKD, which represents approximately 20 million Protestant Christians, had increased significantly, and EKD officials had begun to distance themselves from Kurschus.