Report into German boys' choir details six decades of abuse

SBS World News Radio: A new report has found more than 500 boys in one of Germany's most famous Catholic choirs were physically and sexually abused over six decades.

Report into German boys' choir details six decades of abuseReport into German boys' choir details six decades of abuse

Report into German boys' choir details six decades of abuse

Nearly 50 church officials and teachers are implicated in the investigation.

The 440-page report reveals 547 pupils of the Regensburger Domspatzen boys choir - the Regensburg Sparrows - were abused between 1945 and early 1990s.

The alleged perpetrators are unlikely to face criminal charges because of the amount of time that has elapsed.

Lawyer Ulrich Weber compiled the report.

"In many cases, those responsible for the violence in pre-school were the director himself and his prefect who over decades were the shaping figures of the institution. However, many employees from the three school sectors - choir, music education and boarding school - were actively involved in the violence."

According to the report, boys who tried to escape were taken straight back to the school and beaten and humiliated in front of other boys.

"These institutions were described by the victims as 'prison', 'hell' and 'concentration camp'. Many of them described this time as the worst time of their life - dominated by violence, fear and helplessness."

Among those singled out for criticism in the report was former choirmaster Georg Ratzinger, elder brother of retired Pope Benedict XVI.

Mr Ratzinger had no knowledge of the extent of the abuse at the time but Mr Weber says it's no excuse for ignoring it.

Allegations of abuse at the school surfaced in 2010.

The first survivor to speak out about the violence was Alexander Probst.

He was a pupil at the choir in the late 60s and early 70s and told the BBC the abuse started when he was 8 years old.

"I had a lot of violence to bear, I had a lot of violence to bear and I also had sexual abuse by a young priest over more than a year, nearly every day."

Mr Probst said the trauma he suffered from the abuse still haunts him today.

"Religion was not my favourite thing. After that time I didn't even sing and I cannot any more play the piano. I took a teacher and we tried but we cannot. I'm sitting there, put the hands on the piano and I can't play. No possibility for me. That's what happened with me because of those things."

The church has responded to the findings of the report with an apology.

Michael Fuchs is the leading priest of the Diocese.

"We all made mistakes and learned a lot. We see today that we could have done things better and I think it is also our responsibility to investigate the underlying reasons for what happened over those years."

 






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