Germany: Catholic Church to pay compensation to Regensburg abuse victims

 

 

REGENSBURG: -- The Catholic Church has agreed to pay compensation to victims of physical and sexual abuse which took place while they were pupils at a famous boys’ choir school in Regensburg, Germany.

 

Rudolf Volderholzer, the Bishop of the Regensburger Cathedral in Bavaria, has formally apologised. He says the Church will pay between 5,000 and 20,000 euros to each of the affected former students for abuses between 1953 and the 1990s.

 

Pope Benedict’s brother, Georg Ratzinger, ran the choir for 30 years from 1964 to 1994, when the majority of the abuses reportedly occurred. He told Italian daily La Repubblica that he knew nothing about the alleged abuse of boys in the choir.

 

Some 422 possible victims have come forward, including former chorister Alexander Probst.

 

“An acknowledgment has been made,” he said. “Now I know: I’m no longer the one who is damaging the reputation of this bishophood, but I am an equal partner who is being respected. So, it doesn’t matter what the outcome is. It’s much more important that this acknowledgment has been made.”

 

Another former pupil said all the perpetrators except one are now dead, but the one living suspect will be put on trial.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-10-13

It's a church tradition to teach the choir boys how to reach the high notes. 

Sexual abuse does seem to be endemic in the Catholic Church, what would it cost them to financially compensate every victim psychologically scarred for life? For that matter what if we added in the Inquisition, South America etc, compensation for all their crimes would bankrupt their very hefty and long accumulated war chest.

Yo

59 minutes ago, Rancid said:

Sexual abuse does seem to be endemic in the Catholic Church, what would it cost them to financially compensate every victim psychologically scarred for life? For that matter what if we added in the Inquisition, South America etc, compensation for all their crimes would bankrupt their very hefty and long accumulated war chest.

You forgot the money laundering and cooperation with the Mafia. All in all if it would not be one of the biggest churches you would call it a criminal gang and the leaders would be brought to jail for many years

Anybody who has ever visited or stayed in Regensburg will know how 'respectable' a place it is. Regensburg a town in Bavaria.