- Title: GERMANY: German church sex abuse scandal widens
- Date: 6th March 2010
- Summary: ETTAL, GERMANY (MARCH 05, 2010) (REUTERS) (CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF "KLOSTER (MONASTERY) ETTAL" WHICH MUNICH PROSECUTORS RAIDED ON TUESDAY (MARCH 02) FIGURINE OUTSIDE WINDOWS PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES / NEWS CONFERENCE WITH LAWYER THOMAS PFISTER AND BENEDICTINE FATHER JOHANNES BAUER (IN MIDDLE) PFISTER SPEAKING AUDIENCE LISTENING FATHER JOHANNES SPEAKING AUDIENCE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (German) LAWYER, THOMAS PFISTER, SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR INSTALLED BY MONASTERY SAYING: "It can be said for sure that in past times, let me call them the dark times of Ettal monastery, there were hundreds of students who were abused. They were not, as is sometimes reported, treated with harmless slaps on the head but there were extremely serious cases of abuse which would have resulted in prison terms of several years under worldly aspects." PFISTER SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (German) LAWYER, THOMAS PFISTER, SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR INSTALLED BY MONASTERY SAYING: "I have received so much evidence that no one can seriously claim those responsible at the time did not have any clues. There was a collective silence and a collective ignorance." CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (German) LAWYER, THOMAS PFISTER, SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR INSTALLED BY MONASTERY SAYING: "I have to somewhat protect Father Johannes for his courage to sit down here today. He could have sent someone else to say: I was one of them who beat (youths up). He explicitly admitted that he even hit (youths) with objects. If someone acts like that, there is good reason to say that something is happening here and that the monastery is drawing its consequences." ETTAL, GERMANY (MARCH 03, 2010) (REUTERS) BENEDICTINE FATHER JOHANNES BAUER, WHO ON FRIDAY (MARCH 05) ADMITTED TO HITTING YOUTHS WITH OBJECTS IN THE PAST, WALKING DOWN STAIRS ETTAL, GERMANY (MARCH 05, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (German) LAWYER, THOMAS PFISTER, SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR INSTALLED BY MONASTERY SAYING: "The 1950, 60s and 70s must be regarded as the dark years of Ettal monastery when abuse took place systematically. There were numerous sexual abuse cases against small and older children carried out by Father Magnus who has died in the meantime." REGENSBURG, GERMANY (MARCH 05, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF REGENSBURG "DOM" (CATHEDRAL) AFTER WHICH "REGENSBURGER DOMSPATZEN" BOYS' CHOIR IS NAMED WOMEN ENTERING CATHEDRAL
- Embargoed: 21st March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVABTDQ7IWU2I4BFTS5BM8OSU2R0
- Story Text: The investigator for the German Ettal monastery hit by a sexual abuse scandal says children's exploitation was widespread as Regensburg's renowned Domspatzen boys' choir reports it too was affected by cases of abuse until 1973.
The cases of sexual abuse at Germany's Ettal monastery in Bavaria were so serious that the perpetrators would have faced prison terms of several years, the Catholic institution's investigator told reporters on Friday (March 05).
Lawyer Thomas Pfister, who was recently installed by Kloster Ettal monastery to deal with the recent flood of accusations, said "there were hundreds of students who were abused. They were not, as is sometimes reported, treated with harmless slaps on the head but there were extremely serious cases of abuse which would have resulted in prison terms of several years under worldly aspects," he said.
Pfister was speaking during a news conference at Ettal monastery, also attended by Father Johannes who admitted to hitting children in the past.
Pfister said of the priest "I have to somewhat protect Father Johannes for his courage to sit down here today. He explicitly admitted that he even hit (youths) with objects. If someone acts like that there is good reason to say that something is happening here and that the monastery is drawing its consequences."
Also on Friday, officials at Regensburg's Domspatzen boys' choir told reporters they too were affected by cases of sexual abuse in the past.
Spokesman Clemens Neck told reporters at a news conference that "we are talking about cases from the years 1959 until 1973."
"We are not in any way talking about something that should worry anyone in the least who has their child with the Domspatzen" now, Neck said.
The "Regensburg Domspatzen" Catholic Church choir was once led by the brother of Pope Benedict.
Rev Georg Ratzinger, who led the choir from 1964 to 1994, told Bavarian Radio he knew nothing of the cases, the latest in a series of such charges harming the Church's image in Germany.
Pope Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, taught theology at the University of Regensburg from 1969 to 1977. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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