The meeting was held Monday at the monastery of Himmelspforten, in Wurzburg. It was the first of a series of meetings, which will end during the conference’s autumn general assembly next month.
The bishops are working to establish the line of action to be taken in the face of abuse cases that have surfaced in all dioceses.
Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the bishops’ conference, wants all dioceses to follow the same procedure when abuse cases are reported. The assembly is also discussing preventive measures.
In April, Cardinal Lehmann announced the establishment of a commission to investigate recent and older cases.
“This is the last great opportunity for the bishops to finally address these cases openly,” he said.
