GERMANY
Newser
By Michael Harthorne, Newser Staff
Posted Jan 9, 2016
(NEWSER) – At least 231 members of a Catholic boys’ choir in Germany were physically abused over four decades—largely while the choir was conducted by the brother of former Pope Benedict XVI, the New York Times reports. That number comes from Ulrich Weber, a lawyer hired by the Regensburger Domspatzen choir to investigate abuse allegations that arose in 2010, according to AFP. Previously, the local Catholic Diocese had capped the number of victims at 72 and offered $2,700 in compensation, the Times reports. According to AFP, the abuse—which included “severe beatings and food deprivation”—started as early as 1945 and lasted until 1992. Weber says at least 40 of the 231 cases are instances of sexual abuse, including rape, the Times reports.
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