Pope's Brother's Choir Abused 231 Boys

At least 231 children who were part of a German boys' choir led for many years by Pope Benedict XVI's brother were abused during a period that spanned almost four decades, according to a German lawyer investigating the matter. Ulrich Weber, who was commissioned by the choir to investigate allegations of abuse, both physical and sexual, said that he believes the abuse was widespread. From 1953 to 1992, Weber said, every third member of the choir – known as Regensburger Domspatzen – and the school it drew students from saw some kind of physical abuse. He said that 40 of the 231 cases included some sexual abuse. When asked at a news conference if Rev. Georg Ratzinger, the brother of Pope Benedict XVI and the leader of the choir from 1964 to 1994, knew of the abuse, Weber said, “After my research, I must assume so.”