Weeping Virgin Mary Highlights the Systemic Sexual Abuse of Children in the Catholic Church

The sexual abuse of children and young people by Catholic priests have been known since 2010. Since 2010, ECKIGER TISCH e.V. has been demanding on behalf of the survivors that the cases of abuse be dealt with, help for those affected - as well as adequate compensation for the damage done to them. But everyone is still waiting in vain for these three demands to be met.

So, it's 12 years of not making progress - 12 years of refusing to take responsibility.

To make the demands of the organisation public, Grabarz & Partner, together with director Charly Stadler, Pullover Films, Mokoh Music, produced the film 'Crying Mary' pro bono. The film makes use of the phenomenon of weeping statues of the Virgin Mary.

Accompanied by a boy's voice singing the Ave Maria (Hail Mary), at the end of a long camera movement through a church, we see a statue of Mary with tears streaming down her face. The super fades in: "There are many theories why Mary sometimes cries. 114,000 people in Germany know why."

The film was launched last week as a social media video on the association's own channels and was also projected on church and house walls in Cologne, the hometown of the well-known Cardinal Woelki. At the conference meeting in Fulda, the film was shown on an LED screen in front of the building opposite. This way, not only the public, but also the bishops and the national media could see it. All with one aim: to increase the pressure on the Catholic Church and politics.

"Our society cannot continue to close its eyes to the fact that over 100,000 children and young people have been sexually abused by church officials. The church must be forced by public pressure to finally come to terms with the issue and compensate those affected. This is not about money. It is above all about dignity. And it is not about setting a sign against faith or religion. On the contrary. It is precisely about protecting faith and religion. We will continue to support Matthias Katsch and the Eckiger Tisch e.V. organisation with further actions until the inconceivable suffering of those affected is finally dealt with," says Ralf Heuel, CCO at Grabarz & Partner about the partnership.