Pastor sues Blick

According to the Sonntag newspaper, Blick identified the priest by publishing his picture and personal details. Under the headline "Aargau pastor - sex accusation", the tabloid newspaper published an article on June 2 in which a daughter claimed that her father had abused and raped her for 12 years. The article was accompanied by an archive picture of the alleged perpetrator, which Blick had bought from the local editorial office of the Aargauer Zeitung. However, Blick did not make the priest in the picture unrecognizable. The first name with the first letter of the surname, profession, age, place of residence and place of work were also mentioned. The priest was acquitted on June 17.
The clergyman has now filed a lawsuit against Ringier, editor-in-chief Ralph Grosse-Bley and the authors. According to the indictment, the article revealed his identity in full. This has led to "massive problems at his place of work".
Blick should not have exposed the pastor with a picture and all other details. The President of the Press Council, Dominique Von Burg, is quoted in Sonntag as saying that he could say this without knowing the case in detail. Such identification is only legally justified if there is "a predominantly public interest (information interest)". According to the statement of claim, the pastor is not a person of public interest.