Vatican denounces attempts to draw Pope into scandal - THE INDEPENDENT

March 14, 2010

Vatican denounces attempts to draw Pope into scandal By Andrew McCorkell

Those who 'aggressively' tried to connect the Pontiff with sex abuse cases have failed, spokesman insists

The Vatican denounced what it called aggressive attempts after it emerged a suspected paedophile priest was sent to do community work by the Munich archdiocese while the pope was archbishop there some 30 years ago.

Holy See's spokesman and its prosecutor for sexual abuse of minors by clergy defended the pope. Abuse scandals have dogged the Pontiff in recent days following decades of abuses in the UK, the United States and around the world. Benedict XVI drew further criticism over a 2001 church directive he wrote while a Vatican cardinal, instructing bishops to keep abuse cases confidential.

The students were forced to have anal sex with one another in the apartment of a prefect at the church-run boarding school attached to the choir. The Regensburg diocese has refused to comment on the report.