Munich Prosecutor's Office Probing 42 Cases Of Church Sex Abuse Negligence - Reports

Munich Prosecutor's Office Probing 42 Cases of Church Sex Abuse Negligence - Reports

The Munich Prosecutor's office is investigating 42 alleged cases of negligence of church leaders based on reports of sexual violence against minors in the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, the dpa news agency reports, citing a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2022) The Munich Prosecutor's office is investigating 42 alleged cases of negligence of church leaders based on reports of sexual violence against minors in the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, the dpa news agency reports, citing a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office.

Earlier in the week, German law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, in charge of the investigation into child abuse from 1945 to 2019 at the request of the archdiocese, accused Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI of inaction regarding the cases of child abuse during his watch as the archbishop in 1977-1982, of which he was aware.

According to the spokesperson of the Munich prosecutor's office, the company sent information about 41 cases to the office in August 2021, and one more case in November. The office investigating the living church officials suspected of abuse.

Their identities are not disclosed while the office establishes possible violations of criminal law in these cases, according to the news agency.