Social pedagogue Prof. Fabian Kessl was an expert on the ForuM study team commissioned by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) in 2020 to investigate sexualised violence and other forms of abuse in the Protestant Church and Diaconia.

In his work on the topic of "abuse in the church", he analysed the structures within church institutions in detail. In his lecture, he will provide insights into his investigation into how power relations, belief systems and institutional protection mechanisms favour or even cover up abuse. Kessl poses the question of how the church as an institution deals with its own claim to power and the trust of the faithful, while at the same time the suffering of the victims is often not given sufficient attention. He calls for a far-reaching process of change in the church structure and transparent mechanisms for victims.

Prof Dr Fabian Kessl studied education and political science in Heidelberg and completed his doctorate at Bielefeld University in 2004. He has been teaching social pedagogy with a focus on socio-political foundations at the University of Wuppertal since 2018.