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	Priests and Nuns Accused in Bavarian Abuse Inquiry Ireland Online March 22, 2010 http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/world/priests-and-nuns-accused-in-bavarian-abuse-inquiry-450950.html A diocese in the Pope's native Bavaria said today four priests and two nuns are to be investigated in connection with sexual abuse allegations. A Regensburg Diocese spokesman said that since allegations surfaced earlier this month, the church has been pursuing the cases with the goals of achieving justice and help for the victims, punishing the offenders and preventing future crimes. "The work of the last 14 days has shown us that serious wrongdoing was committed by spiritual leaders and members of the church," he said. "We deeply regret what the spiritual leaders and church members did to these children and youths, and we ask for forgiveness on their behalf." In addition to the six now under investigation, about whom further details were not given, the spokesman said there were two new charges of child sex abuse by a man identified as Friedich Z. who was already convicted of abuse charges in 1958, and one new charge against a Georg Z. who was convicted in 1969. The Regensburg cases come among a spiralling child abuse scandal in the Catholic church in Germany, in which 300 former students have come forward with claims of physical or sexual abuse. Abuse scandals involving Catholic dioceses, monasteries and other institutions have also hit several other countries, with victims in Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy all coming forward recently with allegations of abuse as well as cover-ups. The allegations of physical abuse in Regensburg are centred around the Etterzhausen school just outside Regensburg - considered a feeder school for the Regensburger Domspatzen Boy's Choir, which was led for three decades by the Pope's brother Georg Ratzinger. Ratzinger, 86, has admitted slapping pupils after he took over the choir in 1964 - although such punishments were commonplace in Germany at that time. He also said he was aware of allegations of physical abuse the elementary school, and publicly apologised for doing nothing about it, but he was not aware of sexual abuse. The Pope was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982 when he was brought to the Vatican to head the body responsible for investigating abuse cases. During that time, he came under criticism for decreeing that even the most serious abuse cases must first be investigated internally.
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