- Title: GERMANY: German church sex abuse scandal widens
- Date: 6th March 2010
- Summary: EXTERIOR OF BISHOP'S CHAIR SIGN ON WALL SPOKESMAN FOR REGENSBURG DIOCESE CLEMENS NECK ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERA CREWS (SOUNDBITE) (German) SPOKESMAN FOR REGENSBURG DIOCESE, CLEMENS NECK SAYING: "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" (choir). YOUTH WALKING PAST BUILDING / DOMSPATZEN LOGO PAINTED ON WALL DOMSPATZEN LOGO PAINTED ON WALL WINDOWS REGENSBURG CATHEDRAL SEEN ACROSS RIVER DANUBE
- Embargoed: 21st March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
- Reuters ID: LVA9BMBDDYE8U5U2MYQNNNIO8GL6
- 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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