The Vatican and Church Abuse: Pope's Brother Ignored Allegations of Physical Abuse

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_VATICAN_CHURCH_ABUSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-03-09-20-01-54
Pope's brother: I ignored physical abuse reports
By MELISSA EDDY and ALESSANDRA RIZZO Associated Press Writers
BERLIN (AP) -- "The pope's brother said in a newspaper interview published Tuesday that he slapped pupils as punishment after he took over a renowned German boys' choir in the 1960s. He also said he was aware of allegations of physical abuse at an elementary school linked to the choir but did nothing about it."
"The Vatican moved to defuse criticism after the German justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, said Monday that a Vatican secrecy rule has played a role in a "wall of silence" surrounding sexual abuse of children. She cited a 2001 Vatican document - drawn up by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - requiring even the most serious abuse cases to be first investigated internally."