<div><strong>Gerechtigkeit für meine Mutter – Unterstützt Melanie F. im Berufungsverfahren gegen das Erzbistum Köln</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>——— English version below ———
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Melanie F. wurde als Kind vom katholischen Priester Hans Ue. als Pflegekind aufgenommen – und über Jahre schwer sexuell missbraucht. Jetzt kämpft sie um Gerechtigkeit. Dafür braucht sie unsere Hilfe.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Was passiert ist</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Als Waisenkind wurde Melanie einem Priester anvertraut, der trotz nicht bestandener Diplomarbeit aufgrund seiner „Bemühung um das Kindeswohl“ geweiht wurde. Mit einer Sondergenehmigung durfte er sie sogar als Pflegetochter aufnehmen – unter Aufsicht der Kirche.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Mit verheerenden Folgen: Jahre schwerer sexueller Gewalt, zwei Schwangerschaften, Probleme in Schule und Beziehungen, ein zerstörtes Selbstwertgefühl.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Was blieb: Eine tiefe innere Härte – gegen sich selbst und gegen die Welt.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Wie die Kirche reagiert</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Die Kirche behauptet bis heute, der Missbrauch sei „privat“ geschehen – obwohl alles im Pfarrhaus stattfand. Nur durch sein Amt konnte der Täter Melanie aufnehmen. Unmittelbar nach den Taten zwang er sie sogar zur Beichte bei ihm.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Trotzdem lehnte das Landgericht Köln ihre Klage ab. Das Erzbistum nutzte Verzögerungstaktiken, hielt Akten zurück – und gegen Kardinal Woelki läuft eine Strafanzeige wegen Prozessbetrugs. Mehr dazu: Eckiger Tisch: <a href="https://www.eckiger-tisch.de/strafanzeige-gegen-kardinal-woelki-wegen-des-verdachts-auf-versuchten-prozessbetrug/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Strafanzeige gegen Kardinal Woelki wegen Prozessbe</a>.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Warum ich (ihr Sohn) diesen Aufruf starte</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Ich habe meine Mutter nie so kennengelernt, wie sie hätte sein können – frei vom Missbrauch. Jetzt kämpft sie – und ich will ihr zeigen: Du bist nicht allein. Du verdienst Gerechtigkeit.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Ich habe selbst anonym 2000€ gespendet, um diesen Aufruf mit einem klaren, persönlichen Zeichen zu unterstreichen.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Warum deine Hilfe zählt</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Melanie F. geht in Berufung. Ihr Fall wird ein Präzedenzfall für viele Betroffene sein. Aber: Die Gerichtskosten liegen bei über 70.000 €. Ohne Hilfe ist das nicht zu stemmen.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Strategische Prozesskostenunterstützung</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Der Verein Eckiger Tisch hat ein Konto eingerichtet, um Melanie F. zu unterstützen und diese strategisch wichtige Klage durch die Instanzen zu ermöglichen – damit Gerechtigkeit nicht vom Geldbeutel abhängt.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Dank des Einsatzes vom Eckiger Tisch e.V. und zahlreicher Unterstützer sind bereits 37.000 € gesammelt worden – ein starkes Zeichen der Solidarität . Mit dieser GoFundMe-Kampagne wollen wir nun die entscheidende Lücke von 33.000 € schließen. Melanie F. hat genug durchzustehen – deshalb verhindern wir, dass aus der öffentlichen Schuldfrage eine private Schuldenfrage wird.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>So kannst du helfen:</strong>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Spende, was du kannst – jeder Euro zählt.
</li>
<li>Teile diesen Aufruf mit Freund*innen und in sozialen Netzwerken.
</li>
<li>Hilf mit, dass Melanie F. nicht allein für die Verantwortung der Kirche zahlen muss. Jede Spende zählt – für Gerechtigkeit, für Aufklärung, für alle Betroffenen.
</li>
</ul>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>——— English version ———
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Justice for my mother – Support Melanie F. in her appeal against the archdiocese of Cologne</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Melanie F. was taken in as a foster child by priest Hans Ue., who sexually abused her for years. She is now fighting for justice and needs our help.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>What happened</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As an orphan, Melanie was entrusted to a priest, who was ordained despite failing his theological exams, based on his so-called „commitment to the child’s welfare“. With a special permit from the Church, he was even allowed to take her in as a foster child – under church supervision.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The devastating consequences: years of severe sexual abuse, two pregnancies, difficulties in school and relationships, a shattered sense of self-worth.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>What remained was a deep inner hardness – against herself and against the world.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>The church’s reaction</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The church continues to claim the abuse was a „private matter“ – despite it having taken place in the parish house. Only because of his clerical position was he able to take her in as a foster child. Immediately after the abuse, he even forced her to confess to him.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>And yet, the district court of Cologne dismissed her lawsuit. The archdiocese employed stalling tactics, withheld documents – and its archbishop, Cardinal Woelki, is now under criminal investigation for alleged fraud related to the case: <a href="https://www.eckiger-tisch.de/strafanzeige-gegen-kardinal-woelki-wegen-des-verdachts-auf-versuchten-prozessbetrug/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Strafanzeige gegen Kardinal Woelki wegen Prozessbe</a>trugs (content in German)
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Why I (her son) am starting this campaign</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I never got to know my mother as she could have been – free from abuse. But now she is fighting back – and I want to show her: You are not alone. You deserve justice.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I have anonymously donated €2000 to underline this campaign with a clear, personal signal.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Your help matters</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Melanie F. is appealing the court’s decision. Her case will set a precedent for many other survivors. However, the legal costs will exceed €70,000. Without support, this is unmanageable.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Strategic legal cost support through Eckiger Tisch</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The association Eckiger Tisch e.V. established an account to support Melanie F. and to enable this strategically important lawsuit to proceed through the courts – so that justice doesn’t depend on financial means.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thanks to the support of Eckiger Tisch e.V. and numerous supporters, €37,000 has already been raised – a powerful sign of solidarity. With this GoFundMe campaign, we now aim to close the remaining gap of €33,000. Melanie F. already has enough to carry – we're making sure that public justice doesn't turn into personal debt.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>This is how you can help:</strong>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Donate what you can – every euro counts.
</li>
<li>Share this campaign with friends, family, and social media.
</li>
<li>Help ensure that Melanie F. doesn’t have to bear the financial burden of the Church’s responsibility. Every donation counts – for justice, for awareness, and for all survivors.
</li>
</ul>

Richard Meyer

Anonymous

Andrea Adams

Thomas Mandt

Marion Holder

Harry Teuber

Veronika Astrid Pelka

Ute Overhage

Sylvia Dr. Essner

Josef Noll

Herbert Gebauer

Rosemarie Dilling

Gerechtigkeit für Melanie F. – und ein Präzedenzfall!

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

be_supporter_comments_enabled_supported_funds

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Gerechtigkeit für Melanie F. – und ein Präzedenzfall!

Still €28,960 to go. Help us build momentum.