** FILE ** In this Sept. 13, 2006, file picture Pope Benedict XVI, right, walks with his brother priest Georg Ratzinger in Regensburg, southern Germany. The pope's brother says in a newspaper interview that he slapped pupils across the face after he took over a renowned German boys' choir in the 1960s. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)UPDATED:
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 has appointed an independent investigator to examine the allegations of physical and sexual abuse that have engulfed the prestigious Regensburger Domspatzen ("Cathedral Sparrows") boys choir, which was led by the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, the pope's elder brother, from 1964 until 1994. So far, the sexual abuse allegations predate Father 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," Mr. Schoetz said. "We expect to publish first results within the next two weeks."
In addition, the German Bishops Conference said it would look into wider-ranging allegations across the country after more than 170 students at Catholic schools have said they were sexually or physically abused decades ago.
That investigation also will 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 and Freising, prelate Karl Juesten told the Associated Press.
"We do not know if the pope knew about the abuse cases at the time," Father Juesten said. "However, we assume that this is not the case."
Archbishop of Munich-Freising Reinhard Marx will be "certainly investigating these questions," he said.
Father Juesten, the liaison between Roman Catholic bishops and the German government, also praised Father Ratzinger, the pope's brother, for apologizing to victims on Tuesday for doing nothing decades ago to stop the beating of students.
By Jeannine Aversa - Associated Press
updated 35 minutes ago
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