more abuse by the church

Claims of abuse flood Munich diocese: "The head of a task force set up to deal with sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the pope's former archdiocese in Germany has been inundated by a 'tsunami' of claims.

Reports have emerged almost daily of sex abuse cases involving Catholic clergy in several European countries. The controversy threatens to overshadow a letter the Pope is to release on similar scandals in Ireland.

Fresh claims have emerged that Benedict XVI failed to do enough to safeguard children from pedophile priests when, as Joseph Ratzinger, he was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982. 'It's like a tsunami,' said Elke Huemmeler, the female head of the diocese's newly established Task Force on Sexual Abuse Prevention.

Yesterday, the body began reviewing about 120 cases of alleged sexual abuse. Around 100 involve a boarding school run by Benedictine monks at Ettal, in southern Bavaria.

The most damaging revelation is that the then archbishop allowed a priest accused of molesting an 11 year-old boy elsewhere to move to his diocese in order to undergo 'therapy' in 1980."