German priest recalled from US over sexual misconduct allegations
By DPA, IANSWednesday, April 21, 2010
WASHINGTON - A German priest stationed in the US has been removed from his post over allegations of sexual misconduct that occurred 20 years ago, church officials confirmed Wednesday.
The Archdiocese of Washington confirmed that Reverend Michael Schapfel was recalled to Germany March 30 under instructions from the German Bishops Conference. Schapfel had been stationed in Mainz before coming to Washington in 2004.
The Washington Archdiocese learned of the allegations against Schapfel dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s Tuesday. Susan Gibbs, the spokeswoman for the Archdiocese, said the accusations against Schapfel involved “inappropriate relationships with teenage girls.”
Gibbs told the German Press Agency dpa that the Archdiocese has informed members of the German Pastoral Mission where Schapfel was posted to encourage others to come forward if they experienced improper misconduct.
“There’s no indication that would leave us to suspect there was something else that happened here,” she said.
