Associated Press
BERLIN -- Catholic authorities in Germany announced two major abuse investigations Wednesday -- one into the renowned choir once led by Pope Benedict XVI's brother and another into what everyone, including the pope, knew about the sexual and physical abuse of students.
The Roman Catholic diocese of Regensburg in southern Germany said it appointed an independent investigator to examine the allegations of physical and sexual abuse that have engulfed the prestigious Regensburger Domspatzen boys choir, which was led by the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, the pope's older brother, from 1964 until 1994. So far, the sexual abuse allegations predate Ratzinger's term.
Diocese spokesman Jacob Schoetz said that Nuremberg lawyer Andreas Scheulen was named to lead the inquiry and all charges will be investigated thoroughly.
"The independent lawyer will thoroughly go through all existing legal papers, all court decisions and any information available," Schoetz said. "We expect to publish first results within the next two weeks."
The German Bishop's Conference said it would also look into wider-ranging allegations across the country after more than 170 students at Catholic schools have said they were abused decades ago.
That investigation will also examine allegations of sexual abuse at the choir and look into what, if anything, Pope Benedict XVI himself knew in his previous position as the archbishop of Munich, prelate Karl Juesten told The Associated Press.
Munich Archbishop Reinhard Marx will be "certainly investigating these questions," he said.
Juesten, the liaison between Roman Catholic bishops and the German government, also praised Ratzinger, the pope's brother, for apologizing to victims on Tuesday for doing nothing decades ago to stop the beating of students.
Ratzinger says students told him of allegations of physical abuse at an elementary school in Germany decades ago and apologized for doing nothing about it.
Reached by telephone Wednesday, Ratzinger said he had no further comment on the matter.
