Scandal rocks Archdiocese of Cologne as employees caught accessing explicit websites on work computers

In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that employees of the Archdiocese of Cologne in Germany used work computers to try to access pornographic websites. The incident has left Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, deeply disappointed. The issue was exposed when the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper reported that a list from the archdiocese showed over 1,000 attempts to access such websites from its computers, involving dozens of employees, including senior clerics. Following the report, the archdiocese confirmed the existence of the list.

It explained that its IT service provider regularly checks their firewalls to ensure they are effective in blocking access to sites with risky content, including violence, pornography, and drugs. However, these checks are not meant to monitor individual usage habits. Fortunately, the investigation did not reveal any indications of criminally relevant behavior. Cardinal Woelki expressed his disappointment, stating, "It disappointed me that employees tried to access pornographic pages with the help of devices that our archdiocese made available for their work — even though the firewalls kicked in." He added that while some may consider the consumption of pornography harmless, he agreed with Pope Francis in condemning it and warning of its dangers, particularly in violating human dignity.

The archbishop swiftly took action by requesting an examination into the incidents as soon as he became aware of them. He also assured the public that the archdiocese has many committed and reliable employees. The internal investigation conducted by the archdiocese uncovered that Cardinal Woelki himself was not among the users of the incriminated sites, according to German news agency dpa. Cologne prosecutors are currently examining the archdiocese's list, but, so far, there is no suspicion of any crime or ongoing investigation. However, this incident adds to the archdiocese's existing crisis of confidence, primarily focused on Cardinal Woelki. In 2020, he faced criticism for withholding a report he commissioned on the local church officials' response to accusations of sexual abuse by priests. This decision sparked outrage among local Catholics. Another report published in March 2021 highlighted instances where high-ranking officials neglected their duties.

The report, however, concluded that Cardinal Woelki had not neglected his legal duty with respect to abuse victims. Nevertheless, he admitted to making mistakes in past cases involving sexual abuse allegations. In response to these issues, two papal envoys were sent to investigate possible errors made by senior officials in handling abuse cases. As a result, the Vatican gave Cardinal Woelki a "spiritual timeout" and criticized major communication errors. Despite submitting an offer to resign in March 2022, no action has been taken by Pope Francis thus far. The situation continues to unfold, leaving Cologne's archdiocese facing a challenging road to regain the trust of its members.